Shifting
by Sarah the mutant farm girl
Summary: 8th in series. After Vegas Dean and Autumn have to shift into a new mode, but before they have time to sort out everything on the home front the foursome find a friend is in trouble, with a shapeshifter.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know its very short, but I'll have Chapter Two up asap. I plan to have a little torture in here somewhere, and we'll get to see more of Sage ( I just loved her too much to only have that wee bit back in From the Ashes). So as soon as I figure out the title this'll be up. A Sam or Dean, rag doll for anyone who reviews : ) **

**Shifting**

**Chapter One**

_February 4th, 2007 _

"Tell me!" he barked at her. Sage stiffened, it wasn't her Rick, her hunter. She knew before the first blow. "You know where they are!"

"What do you want with them?" she asked. He slapped her, hard, across the cheek. She tumbled to the ground and refused to look up at him. She couldn't see his sharp brown eyes. If she did she might just tell where they were. Where her girls were.

"Fine, if you're not going to speak," he grabbed her up off the ground manhandling her back outside, around her two room shack and into the outhouse. "Don't talk, honey. I like it better when you need breaking." the man leaned in stealing a kiss from her lips before slamming the door shut.

He'd shown up the night before and taken her off guard. Sage had fought back when he forced himself into her home. He'd knocked her unconscious, and she was sure that was and accident. You don't want someone out if you're questioning them. But why the hell did he want her girls? She pushed herself into the wall of cubical easing her way to her feet. Tears were falling from her eyes in a way they hadn't done since her Rick had died. Since she had failed to save the only person in her life who truly meant something to her.

"That's a lie, Sagie." she told herself. "If the girls didn't mean anything you wouldn't be protecting them. Them and those damn Winchesters." Sage closed her eyes against the pain. No wonder hunters were so stubborn. You need to be to keep from showing how bad this shit hurts. Her ribs were bruised at least, nimble fingers worked over them probing for a break, her lip was busted pretty good too, might even require a couple of stitches. "God, John, where are you?" she let her head fall back against the wall. "Those kids are going to need you."

It was too much to fight for very long. The memory of her lover washing over her, drudging up everything from trying to piece him back together and failing. All the hurt and shame mixed and mingled with the pride she'd felt seeing Autumn heal so quickly and Athena hold herself together so well. Those girls had grown up a lot in the single year since she'd met them. Sage bit the inside of her mouth drawing blood, why had she let them in? People always hurt! They were never worth all their trouble.

_February 10th, 2007 Raining Cloud's Hunter's Resort, Montana_

Jen Raining heaved herself into her wheel chair cursing the dog scratching at the door. The large rottweiler had been going crazy for the last half hour, and she couldn't take it any more. Autumn had better get home soon or she'd just go ahead and shoot the dog. John was the Daemon Sisters' big bad protector. They didn't go anywhere with out the mutt. But now they had those Winchester boys, Jen grinned at the thought.

"Pup, if they're replacing you they sure know how to chose a replacement." the dog barked in response. "Yea, yea. I hear ya." she rolled her eyes and pushed her chair forward. Jen followed the dog through her cabin and ended up in the bar where John wasted no time busting through the door and out into the cold.

"They're back." Gus said from the bar. "Just got in half hour ago."

"I'm going back to bed, then." Jen said with a yawn. It was just after midnight and she'd had had a full day of chasing newbies around.

"Will the dog be okay?" the man asked.

"Yea, of course. Fire will still be up, she'll let him in."

"Think they took care of that thing in Vegas?" Gus pressed, wiping down the bar.

"If they didn't they wouldn't be back yet. I know John, he would never allow his kids to walk away from a job before it was done."

"That's who called earlier isn't it?" Jen nodded.

"Yea, he was checkin' in on them. Would never admit it to those kids, but he worries himself sick over them. Wouldn't surprise me at all if he died from worrying about them instead of some hunt." she shook her head numbly. "Hunting fathers are all the same."

"Night, Jenny." she held up a hand, a half hearted wave, in response before wheeling herself back to her room.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: And here's Chapter Two. If you guys have any suggestions or want to see more of certian characters just say so and I'll work them in. I plan on writing some more scenes with Sam and Autumn working together along with Dean and Athena. I'd really just like to work Athena and Sam in more in general but their relationship is a pain in the ass to write. Oh well. Reviews are ALWAYS welcome!**

**Disclaimer: I forgot to put this up in Chapter One. I don't own Supernatural or any related materials. I simply own Autumn and Athena and their lives... OH and John-dog!**

**Chapter Two**

Autumn pulled herself to her feet, stepping around piles of dirty laundry as she made her way to the door. She'd recognize the whimpers, on the other side of the front door, anywhere. She tugged open the door, removing the locks Dean had insisted on locking, though she never locked them, and let her dog in. John tackled her, nosing at the thin line on her hair line, the only battle scar from her most recent hunt, before the licking commenced.

"Johnny, you need to be quiet. Everybody's in bed." she scolded the dog pushing him away. "Why don't you go check on them and then get to bed?" he brushed against her legs on his way to inspect his humans. Autumn returned to her work, sorting out laundry for washing the next morning.

"Aut get your ass in bed."

"Thought, you were asleep Dork." she answered the man leaning against the door frame, without looking up.

"I was until I was violated by dog tongue." he told her with his infamous bad-boy grin.

"We'll if your expecting a goodnight kiss from me, you're going to need to have a talk with Listerine, first." she dumped the contents of her sister's bag on the floor in front of her and made quick work of sorting it, stuffing whatever wasn't clothing back into the duffle bag.

"Done?" Dean asked watching her.

"Yea," she yawned. "Don't think there's much more I can do tonight." he offered her a hand up which she excepted, allowing herself to be drug close to him.

"You okay?" he whispered his fingers delicately grazing the scabbed over wound.

"Never better." she smiled enjoying the warmth of the closeness. "How 'bout you?"

"I'm not the one who spent the last two days in a enclosed space with Jabber jaws."

"She don't jabber too much, Athena is more like Tweak."

"Tweak?"

"Yea, that kid on South Park that acts like an addict. All twitchy, constantly fidgeting."

"Uh huh."

"Come on, we need to hit the sack." she stepped back from him when he tried to catch her lips. "Na uh. I told you no kiss without mouth wash." he sighed.

"Night Aut."

"Night, Dork."

Athena was first up the next morning, she built up the fire, took John out, and was debating on whether or not to report of duty in the bar, while listening to Green Day, when Sam stumbled into the kitchen.

"Autty, still sleeping too?" he asked skipping a greeting.

"Yea, I heard her and Dean out here talking late last night." she rolled her eyes. "Would you make coffee?" Sam chuckled.

"I'll show you how." he offered moving to the cabinets fishing out the coffee grounds and filter.

"You know it won't work right?" she hopped up on the counter pulling the coffee maker out for easy access. "I've been shown to use this thing a million times, it just doesn't take."

"Yes, but I never showed you." Athena smiled.

"Well, I guess that makes all the difference." Sam proceeded with exaggerated slowness making a pot of coffee.

"First we put the filter in here, then we measure out the grounds. Got that much?" Athena pretended to write down notes on her invisible pad of paper.

"Got it." she nodded.

"Okay, now, we fill the pot with water, pour it in here." he glanced at her making sure she was paying attention. "Sit the pot under here, this one snaps right into place. All you need to do now is to turn it on."

"Sure." she hopped down. "I'll try that tomorrow morning, you can supervise and everything, but it won't work."

"You're such an optimist."

"Don't you know it, darlin'." Athena pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "I'm gonna go for a run, want to come?"

"Yea, let me go get my shoes."

"Coffee'll be ready when we get back, then."

She followed him out to the living room. Athena shrugged on her coat, while Sam laced up his tennis shoes. Sam and Athena made a couple of laps around the cabins, keeping a steady pace with each other. Neither wanted to be out too long, with the coffee brewing, but found they had nothing to worry about when upon returning.

"Mornin'." Autumn said looking up from her mug, where she was stirring in milk. "You two were up early."

"Not much longer than you." Athena told her sister peeling off her jacket and snow encrusted boots. "You know I love this place, but could really do with out the freaking snow." Autumn laughed at her little sister.

"The Great White Death." Sam joked kicking off his shoes and avoiding the melting snow from Athena's boots.

"Back home, the DJ's of this one radio station actually had a commercial to that effect." Autumn said getting up and grabbing two more coffee mugs from the cabinet and pouring her companions a cup. "You add the fixings." she instructed as Sam and Athena came for their cups.

"Dean up yet?" Sam asked.

"Nope." Autumn returned to her seat at the kitchen table.

"You going to talk to Jen?" Athena inquired coming to take a seat at her sister's side.

"Yea, I'm gonna run a load of laundry, or two, over and get that started then go see her. But not until after I get a shower."

"We sticking around very long?"

"I don't know, Teenie, I was going to ask Jen if she had anything outstanding. Its that time of year though, so all the routine salt and burns are going to the beginners." the red head answered.

"That still sounds weird. I never dreamed there were so many hunters, growing up." Sam shook his head before taking a long drag of his morning brew.

"Even Dad can't handle all the baddies." Athena smirked.

Autumn left an hour later telling them to let Dean sleep. It took most of the day to get the laundry done and while she was playing Cinderella, Dean ran the younger pair through drills, participating in most of them himself, at least when he wasn't correcting them. Athena complained a little when he prompted them to go on a short, three mile, run. It was a normal re-coop day all together. At least until dinner when the phone rang.

"Daemon." Autumn answered her cell bored.

"Mouth." a familiar voice gasped.

"Sage, what's wrong?" panic filled the young woman. Sage hadn't had a phone in years from what she knew, and defiantly didn't own one now.

"Can you get me?"

"Of course where are you?" Autumn signaled the need of paper and pen, which Sam supplied almost immediately.

"Motel 6 out in Covington, Kentucky." Sage's voice had steadied considerably she was no longer rasping and gasping her words.

"It's going to take me a few days to get there. Are you okay?" Autumn asked her friend.

"I'll survive. I got myself patched up for now."

"What happened?"

"A guy, he looked just like Rick," Autumn could hear the other woman's heart ache. "He came to my house and was attacking me. He wants you and Blondie. I just barely got away."

"Okay, we'll be out as soon as we can. Put up those protections and don't leave unless you have to ."

"Don't talk to strangers and look both ways before crossing the street." Sage mocked.

"Sagie, I'm just"

"I know, kiddo. Thanks." Sage's voice softened.

"Always." the line went dead and Autumn turned toward the table. "We've got a new hunt."

"What do you mean?"

"Who was that?"

"When do we leave?"

"Guys!" Autumn held up her hands and her friends shut up. "It was Sage, we leave as soon as possible, and I mean something or someone attacked her. If it's a thing we kill it if it's a one I personally vote for kicking the S.O.B.'s ass and then turning him over to the cops."

"I'll go tell Jen we're out of here." Athena said standing up.

"We'll get everything loaded." Sam followed Athena out the door expecting Dean to follow. Dean just sat staring at Autumn for a minute.

"I'll get this mess cleaned up." she said looking over their now forgotten meal. Not that it was much to brag about Sloppy Joes and Mac 'n' Cheese isn't the choice food of kings but it's better than fast food.

"Where is she?" Dean asked moving to help Autumn clear the table.

"Back in Kentucky."

"She say what it was?" Autumn slid plates into the sink, rinsing them as she went.

"Said it looked like that hunter she used to go with."

"What do you think?" he continued gently. Autumn's movements were mechanical, now, like watching a very life like robot do the dishes.

"I think I'm gonna rip whatever it is limb from limb. She's a little too close to home for comfort." Autumn could see Dean's next question before it reached his lips and really didn't care to specify what she had meant by home. "Go help Sammy. I've got this covered." Dean ran a hand down her arm giving her a significant look, causing her to smile, if only briefly. "Bye Dean-o."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Alrighty, loves, we just got the first taste of the Great White Death, here. At least first of the season. It's only 9 degrees with the windsheild out there, so warm my heart with some reviews please and maybe I won't become Frosty when I walk the dog. **

**Chapter Three**

It was barely two hours later that the four hunters were on the road again, John tucked into the back seat of the Mustang. Autumn pushed through the night and was set to keep driving through the day after they stopped for a quick breakfast, but Dean insisted that Athena take the wheel and she sleep for a while. The drive from Montana to Kentucky seemed to take years, though it was just short of a week.

"Do we know what room she's in?" Athena asked shutting the car door, after tucking her gun in the back of her jeans.

"No," Autumn said her face falling. "I didn't think to ask."

"Okie dokie artie chokie." Athena bounced around to her sister's side of the car. "We'll grab a couple of rooms here, that way we're close by. Then someone can come down later and sneak a peak at the books."

"Where are the boys anyway?" Autumn asked looking around the parking lot.

"Stopped at the first gas station." Athena said dismissively. "Are we stopping to see the girls on our way out?" Autumn shrugged.

"Let's just find out what's going on before we start planning what to do afterward."

"Chicken."

"Bak, bak, bak." Autumn grinned rolling her eyes.

"Let's get those rooms Henny Penny." Athena laughed leading her sister toward the door.

Autumn let Athena handle the clerk, muttering under her breath about finding the percentage of hotel and motel clerks that go off their rocker. Athena got two double rooms on the second level, sliding a fake credit card and ID across the counter.

"You seen any scary lookin' women in here lately?" the man behind the counter looked up from his computer.

"Scary how?" he asked eyeing her.

"A friend of ours passed through here about a week ago, her hubby's a trucker and came back wasted." Athena shook her head sadly. "We're trying to tail her get her out to our folks until we can get the courts to do something about the bastard." the balding clerk shifted in his seat.

"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but… could you describe your girl for me?"

"About my height, black hair, hooked nose with a wart on the end of it."

"With hair in it right? She sort of looks like the Wicked Witch only not green?" Athena nodded.

"That's our girl."

"She's holed up in A 6." he grimaced. "But I didn't say it." Athena smiled batting her eyes.

"Of course, babe. Not a word." she picked up the cards slid them in her pocket, then tossed Autumn the keys. "Thanks."

"No problem Darlin'." Athena steered Autumn out, waiting until they were out of sight to punch the air.

"Who is being the bomb?!" she asked dancing around her sister.

"You are being the bomb, Squirt." Autumn slugged Athena in the shoulder. "Now," she hopped up on the trunk of her car. "We wait for the boys."

"Get your ass down, we're gonna take our stuff to our room, and get Johnny settled before he devours the back seat." Athena tugged her sister off the back of the car. "Then Sister dear, we'll go check out A 6." Sam and Dean arrived as the girls were coming out of their room fifteen minutes later.

"You are next door." Autumn said dropping the keys over the railing for Dean to catch.

"Did you find her?" He asked passing with his bags.

"Got a room number." Autumn answered.

"I got the number, Red." Athena reminded her sister pulling her hair.

"Tiny, only Dad gets to call me Red."

"Whatever." Athena shrugged. "So, you boys set? Can we go check Sage out?"

"Yea, what room?" Sam asked closing the motel door.

Autumn knocked on the door pressing close to it. There was no sound inside. She tired knocking again, still no answer. Sam knelt down and picked the lock, despite Athena insisting she could just go ask the clerk for the key. The four hunters entered the dead silence of the motel room hesitantly, guns withdrawn.

"Sage?" Dean called. No one was surprised at nothingness that reached their ears. From the corner of his eye Dean caught Autumn start to fidget. "Aut, check the bathroom?" he moved toward the tiny bathroom off the bedroom, and she followed.

"She's not here, Dean." Autumn told him before she even opened the door. Sure enough the bathroom was empty. The only thing out of the ordinary was a slip of paper folded up on the sink.

"What's that?" he nodded to the paper. He moved letting her slide in and get the note.

"Hey girls, You just burst into my room ready to blow the whole world away, right? See I know you. Meet me at the bar down on Stephen. Don't bring your lap dogs, just Mouth and Blondie. Sage" Autumn read aloud.

"That don't sound like our Sage." Athena and Sam had walked over to the older pair.

"She hasn't called us by our names at all." Autumn said wrapping her arms around herself.

"You're not going alone." Sam said. Dean nodded his agreement.

"No, you aren't." Dean took the note from Autumn. "You have anything with her handwriting on it?"

"I don't know, I think that stuff she gave me for the burns has her writing on it." Autumn furrowed her brow trying to think.

"Guys, lets get back to one of the rooms before we get caught breaking and entering."

"We didn't break anything." Dean pointed out.

"Dean."

"I'm just saying, Teenie."

Autumn dug the first aid kit out of her trunk and joined the others in her motel room. Athena was draped across on of the beds hanging upside down, Dean had out the phone book and was looking for the name of the bar, and Sam was leaning against the wall just inside the door.

"Sam, sit and relax." she told him as she entered dropping on the bed next to her sister. Autumn sifted through the jars of salves, tubes of ointments, bottles of aspirin, and sandwich bags of Band-Aids before coming up with the container from Sage. "Here." she tossed Dean the cream.

"Sam, you're good at this." he handed his brother the jar and note for inspection. Sam looked at the two handwriting samples. "They match?"

"Close, but no cigar." Sam sighed. "So, someone is pretending to be Sage."

"Aut, what did she say again?" Dean asked.

"Umm a man that looked like Rick, barged into her house, attacked her, she barely got away." Autumn repeated for the millionth time since they'd left the cabin.

"Are you positive she didn't mention why Rick was back?" Athena mimicked so many previous conversations.

"Rick isn't back. You don't come back from the dead."

"So what's going on, Sis?" Athena sat up and steadied herself.

"Teenie, if I knew that I'd tell you, I swear." Autumn said defeated.

"Ladies," Dean interjected.

"We know, stop fighting, got it Dad." Athena rolled her eyes.

"No, I was going to ask if you're up for a beer."

"Totally." Athena grinned hopping up from the bed. "Just let us grab a shower, sitting in that damn car of hers makes you feel very dirty."

"Don't insult Scarlet! She's gotten us through some tough times. You're ass would have been tanned along time ago had it not been for her." Autumn wagged a finger at her sister.

"Yea well without me where would that car be?"

"Shower, squirt." Athena stuck her tongue out before scooping up her bag and disappeared into the bathroom.

After Athena had showered they headed toward the bar mentioned in the note. It wasn't as run down as most the bars they frequented, definitely a place where Sage would stand out, though. Dean and Sam fell back and played invisible, so whoever wanted to meet the girls would show themselves. Autumn found a two seats at the bar and ordered their drinks.

"So is the honeymoon over?" Athena asked mischievously, sipping at her margarita.

"You tell Sammy you're crushing on him?" Autumn countered.

"Uh… no. Why would I do that? I'm not completely insane."

"But you're not denying you've got a crush on him…?" Athena chewed on the skinny straw, that no one could really get anything out of, trying not to make eye contact with her sister. "Athena!"

"Who do you think it is that wants to see us? Or do you think it will be a guy? Maybe a girl… maybe someone we lost contact with. Maybe it will be John." Autumn cocked an eyebrow at her sister.

"It's not going to work. You know that right?"

"What's not going to work?"

"You with Sam, me with Dean. It just never works like that. Oh, and we don't know if it's a shape shifter or a necromancer. It might just be Sage, we don't know."

"Yeah well, I never said it would work. Besides, it's just a crush. I've got more than one, none of them like me or for that matter even know I exist." Athena drank what was left of her frozen strawberry drink and then began moving her finger around and around on the rim of her cup.

"Ma'am?" The bartender asked.

"Yeah. What's up?" Athena asked looking up from her glass.

"The man at the end of the bar asked me to give you this." The bartender handed Athena another margarita.

"Oh. Thanks." Athena smiled at the bartender who smiled back at her and walked off.

"Ooh, someone's got the hots for my little sister!" Athena glared at her sister.

"First one in like twenty-three years." The younger girl leaned back and looked at the end of the bar to see a man about her age wink at her. She shot back into her seat quickly.

"Well, is he cute?" Autumn asked. Sounding a little too excited for her baby sister.

"He's easy on the eyes. Definitely not the ugliest guy I've ever seen."

"So go talk to him!"

"Why?"

"Because, I'm your elder and you do as I say. Now go."

"I don't want to."

"I don't care, now go." Athena looked towards Dean and Sam. Dean, of course, was checking out all the women that walked by. Sam on the other hand, was watching Autumn and Athena carefully. Athena gave Sam the 'please don't make me' look. But Sam just shrugged and motioned for her to go talk to the guy.

"Ugh! Even Sam is making me go. This isn't fair." Athena jumped off her seat and grabbed her margarita and walked over to the guy, walking as model-like as she could. "Hey!"

"Hi." The man said.

"I'm Athena."

"I'm Aiden."

"Nice name. So is anyone sitting here?" Athena nodded towards the empty seat next to him.

"No, sit, please. Help yourself." She sat her drink on the bar and got on the seat next to Aiden.

"So, what was the drink for?"

"For you."

"Well yeah, I know that. But I mean why did you buy it for me?"

"Because you're the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen. Every girl I've ever liked hasn't liked me back. So when I make my move I get slapped, drinks in my face, angry boyfriends. The works." Athena laughed.

"I don't know how someone could say no to you. I mean, you've got big blue eyes, shaggy dark hair. And hey, bodies don't get that good."

"That's wrong. I really don't want to watch this." Sam complained. He was still keeping careful watch on Autumn and Athena.

"Which one, Barbie or Midge?" Dean asked turning towards his brother from another hottie in short shorts at the table next to theirs.

"Athena. And it's wrong that you know Barbie's friends names."

"How do you know they're even Barbie related?"

"Because, it's you. I wouldn't be surprised if you went out and bought Barbie dolls just to see their plastic boobs."

"I'm not that low Sammy. Besides that, there's no detail." Sam shook his head.

"Look at that!" He pointed at Athena who was playing with the man's tie. "Why is she even doing that? It's Sage we're waiting on."

"We don't know if it's a necromancer or shape shifter. That might be the thing we're looking for. Just let her do what she does."

"She's making me sick! I don't want to sit here and watch this. It's annoying, and I don't trust that guy."

"Athena and Sammy sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes sex, then comes a little… Sam and Athena."

"You're not very good at that. And no, first comes crush, then love, then marriage, then MAYBE kids. I'm not dad material though."

"So why are you in a bar? Don't you have a girlfriend or a wife or something? What's wrong with you?" Athena asked, finishing her third margarita. She'd gotten a buzz half way through her second one.

"There's nothing wrong with me. I've just not had the greatest day and so I came here. What's wrong with you?"

"Oh, nothing. My sister and I are here waiting on someone. But, since it's been a while I don't think she's coming." Athena downed her last margarita and slid the margarita towards the bartender.

"Oh. Like a guy?" Aiden asked.

"No. No, not like a guy. Like.. A witch. Only she's kind of white-ish yellow. Like Caucasian instead of green."

"She sounds lovely."

"No! Her hair looks like a damn rats nest and she's got a really big wart on the end of her nose… with hairs growing out of it." Athena made a disgusted face and then burst out laughing. "I'm not kidding! It's gross!!"

"Hey sis. How's it going? Good?" Autumn asked. Athena jumped in surprise from the sudden noise in her ear.

"Oh, hey. Yeah it's going great. Autumn this is Aiden. Aiden, this is my sister; Autumn."

"Hi Aiden. How're you?"

"I'm amazing. So glad your sister came to see me, today was a day from hell and I really needed someone to relax with."

"Well, I guess Athena's your girl. Hey, so I just came over here to tell you that I'm going to the bathroom and I will be RIGHT back. So Aiden, don't let anything happen to my baby sister."

"Yes ma'am." Aiden smiled at Autumn as she walked off.

"Damn, I thought Autumn was finally going to break them up. Son of a bitch!" Sam complained.

"Why do you care so much? It's just Athena…"

"Rude Dean, rude." Sam looked over at his brother. "It's not _just_ Athena. She's like one of our best friend and you say it's _just _Athena? So not cool."

"It's just Athena to me. It's who you want."

"I don't want her."

"Yeah you do smartass."

"Do not! You're not being nice Dean."

"You're strange choice of words just convinces me more and more that you want her more and more. Sam's don't say 'You're not being nice, Dean.' They say, GROW UP DEAN! Or SHUT UP DEAN! Or something like that."

"Okay, if you say so."

"This is such a girly conversation."

"Hey, so while your sister's not around and your two guy friends aren't staring at us anymore, how about you and I get out of here?" Aiden asked.

"How'd you know about Sam and Dean?"

"The fact you look at them a lot, and the tall one has been staring. But now he's not looking anymore, so let's get the hell out of here." Athena looked at Sam and Dean who were clearly arguing.

"Yeah, okay. So where are we headed?"

"My car first. After that, I don't know. I guess we'll decide when we get there." Athena jumped off her seat and tried not to fall over. She rarely drank alcohol, and when she did, never that much. Aiden wrapped his arm around her waist and the two walked out the door.

"Sam, the relationship between Cookie Monster and The Grouch is totally different from the relationship between Cindy Lou-Who and The Grinch." Dean argued. Sam laughed and shook his head and went back to watching Athena.

"Dean?" Sam looked around the bar, Athena and the man were gone. Nowhere in sight.

"What? You realized I'm right?"

"No Dean, Athena's gone. And so is Autumn. Did you see them leave? Dean where is she?"

"Autumn probably went to the bathroom, as for yours. I don't know. Come on we've got to go find her." Dean stood up from the table to go find Athena and looked across the table where is brother… wasn't. Sam had already left and was searching the entire building for Athena. "I swear to God one day he'll admit he's nuts about her." Dean looked around. No familiar faces.

**A/N: Yea don't you just hate these things? I'm supposed to be doing my homework but that's okay, Katie has made her come back. Most of this chapter was hers! So yea, anyway hope ya'll liked it! We'll have Chapter Four up asap, probably tomorrow.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: excluding the last four or five paragraphs this chapter was Katie's baby. **

**Chapter Four**

Athena cracked her eyes open. She was in a dark room. Her clothes were torn, and all she felt was cold and pain. Her arms had cuts up and down them and her leg was throbbing. She didn't know if it was broken or not, or what was wrong. But that was the least of her worries right now.

"Hello? I'd like to talk with your manager please?" Athena called. "I'm not satisfied with the service at this motel… or hotel. What exactly is this place?" No one answered. But moans came from nearby. "Hey, I'm not alone. What's your name? I'm Athena."

"You know who I am Blondie."

"Sage!" Athena crawled over to where the noise came from. She felt a woman curled up, she too was bloody, and she sounded exhausted. "You never came to the bar last night… or earlier. I don't remember which. Why not?"

"How dumb are you? And what bar? Do you think I could've gotten to a bar even if I wanted to? We're in the middle of nowhere locked in a cold dark room." Athena shrugged.

"Sam, Dean and Autty will find us. No worries. So do they feed us or water us or are we just here to laugh at?"

"Oh it'll feed and water us. But along with that we get abused too."

"Wow, we're stuck in hell. Got any idea how long you've been here?"

"No. And why are you so happy? God knows how long you'll be here. Or if you'll even live to see those boys and your sister again."

"Eh, I trust them enough. I think we'll be out of here in a week, tops."

"Don't be so sure, Blondie." Just then Athena heard footsteps coming from the other side of the room. A door opened and Athena saw a man's silhouette.

"Aiden, I'm gonna kick your ass!" The man just laughed. A very familiar, but somehow evil laugh.

"Sam?"

Autumn tossed the brown paper towel in the waste basket under the sink and sighed. The sink had been sopped with water that she'd taken the liberty to clean up, while waiting on the four women in line in front of her. She pulled open the door and headed back out into the dimly lit bar room.

"Autty. Where's Athena?" Sam seemed to of come out of nowhere and grab Autumn.

"She's with Aiden. Why?" Autumn replied, confused.

"No she's not. Dean and I got in an argument and when I looked back over there she was gone."

"What?! Do you guys have any idea where she might be?"

"No, if we did we'd be there instead of here. I was in hopes Athena just went to the bathroom and Aiden went … somewhere else."

"No, Sammy. She wasn't in the bathroom and I've not seen Aiden in a few minutes."

"So some ass just walked out of here with Athena and none of us noticed? God how stupid can we get?"

"Look Sam, we're going to find her. And Sage, since she's not showing up here. And then we're going to kill the son of a bitch that took Athena."

"Well first thing's first, we've got to get Dean and get the hell out of here."

"Go ask the bartender if he seen Athena leave with anyone. That should give us a head start on finding her. And if he says yes, then we'll get the hell out of here. Otherwise we're doing a search." Sam walked over to the bar and sat down, he figured that was the easiest way to get a bartenders attention.

"Hey, what can I get for you." the bartender asked.

"Well, I need help. See I lost my friend, she was blond, had a mini skirt on and those knee-high boots?"

"Was she wearing a jean jacket and a red pink tank top too?"

"That's her."

"Yeah, she left about 15 minutes ago with a guy about your height. Shaggy brown hair. Cuts in his jeans, a red short sleeved shirt. You know the way the kids dress these days."

"Yeah. Thanks so much."

"Not a problem. Now what can I get for you?" Sam cocked his eyebrow at the senile man before walking back over to Dean and Autumn.

"He seen her leave with a guy he said had cuts in his jeans, a red shirt and shaggy brown hair."

"Sounds a lot like you Sammy. Are you sure you don't have a clone?" Dean joked.

"Dean this isn't the time for kidding around. Athena's gone and I'll be damned if I'm not going to find her. With or without your help."

"Sam we're going to find her. Don't worry." Autumn reassured.

"I know we are. I just don't know how long it will take. Let's get back to the motel and try to work this out."

"Okay, so Sage calls, she says Rick was beating on her. But Rick is dead, so that means this thing is either a necromancer, or a shape shifter." Autumn stated.

"Right, and so we go to the bar where she told us to meet her. The handwriting on the note and the handwriting on Autumn's burn crap didn't match. And if that's not enough, the note didn't sound like Sage wrote it." Dean agreed.

"Okay, so Sage didn't show up at that bar. A guy takes Teenie, and whatever it was didn't want Dean and I there, so of course it would take one of you girls." Sam said.

"Maybe it found out we were there and took it's chance of taking Athena while it could. I mean you and I were arguing, Autumn was in the bathroom. No one was paying attention so it's perfectly easy."

"That and Athena was drunk. Three margaritas will do that to you." Sam pointed out.

"Sammy you still wouldn't of had a chance."

"Dean. Please lay off your jokes, now really isn't the time."

"Alright well I'm leaning towards a shape shifter. I personally think it all adds up but if you guys come up with something different. You let me know."

"Yeah I'm gonna say it's a shape shifter too. But now the question is how do we find it."

"John." Autumn announced. John's ears perked up at the sound of his name. He stood up and started wagging his tail.

"No. Not yet, we've got to find a place where that creep would of taken Athena. And possibly Sage."

"There's a park a couple miles from that bar. Maybe he took her there." Autumn offered.

"It's a start. Let's go there and see if there's anything that might help us."

Dean climbed out of his car and looked around at the park. "I thought you meant a little park." he complained.

"No, it's big. But we're going to have to check it all if we want to find Teenie." Autumn answered.

"Yeah, unfortunately." Sam and Autumn got out of the car and the three went separate ways. Autumn played with the silver bullet hanging at her throat never letting Sam and Dean out of her sight as she looked for her sister. The park didn't have many trees, and the jungle gym was rather large, but not going to be easy to stash a full grown woman, let alone two. John refused to stay at her side, dashing between her and the boys. She couldn't blame him for his uneasy attitude.

Dean cast another glance at his brother and girlfriend before going down the slight hill, there was a bathroom built close to several gazebos. You could, if necessary, be secluded in this part of the park. He didn't think whatever they were against was dumb enough to actually try it, gazebos don't have walls and the bathroom… Well maybe. Dean shot down the incline toward the bathroom to check it out.

"You don't smell her do ya boy?" Sam asked scratching John's head as the dog took his place at Sam's heels. John nosed his hand, "We'll find her." The dog wagged his tail and followed him. Sam was searching the park directly behind Dean, he could barely see Autumn off to his right. She was squatted down on the ground drawing something in the dirt. "Go check Dean, buddy." The dog took off over the hill and Sam sighed watching John trot away. "Where are you, Teenie?"

Autumn couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. "This was so stupid." she told herself. "Going to a park, that's normal criminals." She drew a pentagram in the dirt. "So how'd you do it creepo?" she looked around before standing up. She was losing it if she thought someone would answer her. Autumn walked several paces further before spotting something familiar.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I was reading an interview with Kripke earlier this evening and saw where John's adventures in becoming a hunter were going to be made into a comic. Has anyone else heard this? If anyone wants to read the interview say so and I'll send you a link. If its true X-Men might finally have competion for my fave comic book... yes I am so lame that I read comics. **

**Chapter Five**

**"**So when does that ass kicking begin, love?" Sam whispered in her ear, his hot breath raking across her neck. Athena didn't reply so he nibbled at her earlobe, tenderly chewing it.

"The vampire said I taste just like chicken." she jerked her head away from him. Sam chuckled before back handing her.

"Don't, ever, pull away from me, girl!" to punctuate himself he slapped her again. "Got it?"

"Oh baby hit me again." Athena rolled her eyes. Sam, no this wasn't Sam… NotSam had come in to the dark windowless haven and drug Athena to her feet. Her leg screamed in protest but she didn't fight him, limping and clinging to the wall for support, she allowed herself into a short hallway. NotSam pushed her into a chair and tied her to it. 'So original.' she'd muttered to him, as he bond her arms behind her.

"They won't find you, you know? At least not until you're dead."

"Do you have a point here? Because I have a business meeting at eight, and still have to pick up my dry-cleaning." Athena said in a bored manner.

"When I was a boy, everyone thought I was a freak. My family moved around a lot and I never really had friends," NotSam said examining a dagger she knew all too well.

"Really? How sad. My sister had a great shrink you want his number?" NotSam sat on her lap, straddling her hips.

"You're a real smart ass you know it?" he growled.

"I get it from my brother in-fantasy."

"Let's play a game, okay baby doll?"

"Let's not and say we did."

"Here's how it works, I mar you're pretty skin for every syllable you utter." Athena smirked at his proposal.

"Okay." she said in a peppy voice, the next thing she knew two lines of blood paralleling each other ran down her left arm.

"Wanna go again?"

"You sure it's hers?" Sam asked taking the silver bracelet from Autumn.

"If you were to see Dean's necklace, you'd recognize it anywhere right?" the red head asked him. Sam eyed the charms.

"Yea."

"See the feather headdress, is supposed to symbolize Will, then the tongue of fire was me, the spear was for her, the handgun was your dad, and the cross bones was for John-dog." Autumn pointed each charm out individually.

"What about the others?" he asked. Autumn tilted her head watching Sam hold the bracelet aloft.

"Various things. Jokes mostly. The rainbow was for Kit and Josh back home, and this little alien here was Marc. She had a unicorn head for a while, this hunter we worked with right after your dad dumped us was constantly talking about how unicorns were real, but extinct now." Autumn smiled, "she loved this one story he told about how if you always where representation of a unicorn you'll always be innocent."

"What about this one?" he poked at a pair of twin daggers.

"You and Dean. She has a knife that looks just like them." Autumn pushed herself back to her feet. "Come on, lets grab your brother, head back to the motel and find out if there are any abandon or burnt out buildings around here." Sam followed her in the direction her dog had gone a few minutes before.

Dean stuck the wedge under the door propping it open. If anyone was in here they weren't moving at all. He slid in gun drawn, and banged open each stall, no one. He yanked on the supply closet door but it was locked. He hadn't really thought it would be open, had he? Dean tucked his gun away and removed his lock picks. The supply closet didn't have anything out of the ordinary and if someone was stashing an adult in this closet the adult was in pieces. John came in and sat at the door watching him look over the bathroom.

"It's clean, big guy." Dean told the dog. John barked, the sound bouncing around the room echoing. "What is it Lassie? Little Timmy fell in the well?" John wagged his tail and barked again. "That's it? Let's go save Timmy!" Dean rolled his eyes. The dog jumped up putting his front feet on the sink and looked at Dean, willing him to understand. "John, you want a drink?" he asked walking up and reaching to turn on the water. "Okay, this is between me and you, mutt, you're not so stupid." Dean grinned picking up the tape recorder laying in the sink.

Autumn twisted the swing around while John laid in the grass not too far away. Dean and Sam were discussing the next step and driving her crazy with their indecision. If it weren't for the fact that by leaving she risked the chance of Sam, Dean, or herself being imitated by the shape shifter. She chewed at her lip again, that's what this was. Necromancer would raise the dead, they didn't have a real need for the living, and even if they caught the sick bastard all they could do is take him to the cops and say…what? "Hi officer, this guy was bringing the dead back to life. Don't worry we re-killed them why don't you lock him up for us?" She sighed.

"Dean let me hear that again." Dean tossed her the recorder and returned to his argument. Autumn hit play and braced herself for Athena's voice.

"Sissy, I think we missed something. He's got me I just barely had time to do this. He says I'll get to see Sage. I don't trust him. Please don't leave me alone with this freak. He'll be in contact with you soon." there was a beat of silence then a click and it was over.

"Why don't they ever say the name of the person they're addressing?" Autumn lifted her legs and spun around.

"We're not actually gonna wait to be contacted are we?" Sam asked. She would have been amused that he was more worried about Athena than she let on, but there wasn't time to be amused. Or for her to panic.

"Nope." Autumn hopped up and stumbled forward. "Dean, I know you want to do this the right way and all but the only way to find her is to look and standing here isn't looking." she whistled and John was at his feet. "Come on baby-love." she started back for the car. The dog hadn't smelled Athena here but her charm bracelet and voice were here. This guy was going a long way to drag them along.

The boys followed her to the Impala. She took the backseat and instructed them to go to the nearest gas station. The trio questioned the cashier and discovered at least a dozen building in the city had been burned down or abandoned. Autumn convinced the girl to circle the vague area of the buildings on a map. Afterwards they found the first restaurant with WiFi, pulled out the laptops and had a working dinner.The cashier hadn't been too far off in most cases, though she'd forgotten a few buildings.

"They could be in an apartment, or motel." Dean reminded them.

"Let's start here, babe." Autumn wrapped her fingers around the silver bullet again.

"I'm just pointing it out, Aut." she offered him a weak smile.

"I know." she returned to her research. . Instead of going back to the motel they ordered a burger for the dog and started checking out the buildings.

"Sage?" Athena moaned as she came too.

"Hey, Blondie." Sage whispered. Sage was propped against the wall and had pulled Athena's head into her lap. There still wasn't any light in the room, and Athena registered the stench of vomit, damp clothes, and Lysol.

"So T'sup?" Athena forced pep into her voice and forced herself up.

"You're leg is broken, and you need serious stitches." Sage answered. "But you're still in better shape than me."

"How bad are you?" concern filled Athena and for the first time since she'd woke up in this place hours before, she wasn't worrying about her leg, or where she was, she was worried about Sage.

"Blood loss is my biggest worry right now, that and infection." Sage revealed the yellow goo oozing from several of her wounds. Athena leaned back into the wall.

"We'll be fine, Sage. They're looking for us right now."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: BLEH While writing this one I had to deal with our newly adopted cat Amber, who thought the best place for her was my lap, which so happened to be where my LAPtop was. So I lost the whole bloody chapter a few dozen times and had to convince her my dogs weren't any threat, they're nearlly toothless old men 16 and 9 year old dogs... really big threat to pussy cats anymore. Anyway I'm done bitching and Ya'll wanna read the chapter more anyway. Love ya and thanksSarah**

**Chapter Six**

Six multilevel buildings later Autumn and the boys were dead on their feet. John trailed the trio sniffing everything, but his tail no longer wagged at their soft words. It was hard to think about heading back to the motel to turn in for the night but after a week of rare-stop driving they were already worn out, then spending what little they had left of the day looking for Athena in abandoned, burnt out, or otherwise minimal traffic buildings they were all dead on their feet. Not that dead was a word any of them were willing to use.

"This time tomorrow, if she isn't back I'm calling Dad." Autumn said easing around a large crate in a damn near empty warehouse. She lowered her gun upon seeing a whole hell of a lot of nothing.

"Okay." Dean said. Neither of the Winchesters were going to argue with her. She was twitchy between buildings and mechanical in them, she'd stopped talking directly to them dropping off into ranting to herself in low mumbles they could hardly make out. John nosed her leg and a faint smile appeared on her lips. "Why don't you head back to the motel and get some rest?"

"We stick together." she said determinedly. Sam cast them both a weary look. Dean didn't like his brother's state any better than Autumn's. Autumn was shutting down, Sam was getting cranked up. Any slightly suspicious person was liable to get filled with rocksalt or silver bullets or whatever Sam had loaded his gun with before anyone could stop him.

"She's right. You know what the last shifter did." Sam reminded him. Like Dean could actually forget, that thing had driven his car! They all, dog included, stepped closer to each other as if sharing the same thought about being impersonated.

"Impersonation is the highest form of flattery right?" Autumn asked, a heartless attempt and sounding normal.

"We'll all call it a night then." Dean ignored her comment. Both of his companions turned angry glares on him.

"And leave her to" Sam didn't finish his question.

"Sammy, it won't hurt her. It still needs her."

"It won't kill her." Autumn corrected him. "You can hurt something a lot before it loses it's usefulness." Dean saw the rest of the statement in her eyes 'I'm living testament to that.'

"Aut, she's fine." Autumn tucked her gun inside her jacket and started for the door they'd entered through.

"Six hours, you're on the clock." she said passing him.

"Old McDonald had a farm EI IE EI OH and on his farm he had a… Giraffe." Athena sang fighting off sleep. She knew she had a concussion and didn't like the idea of going to sleep when there was a chance she might not wake up.

"Athena those don't make noise." Sage told her. She'd lain down close to the younger woman, not willing to admit she drew strength from Athena's presence but not willing to move away either.

"Yes they do. Saw it on this documentary. Humans can't hear it but it sounds like a huff of air… kinda, on sonar or whatever they were using." Athena held up her head and wobbled, the world spinning. She had to lean back into the wall.

"Continue." Sage permitted.

"Welcome to the Hotel California" Athena switched to a new song, midway through it even.

They'd both lost track of time. As an extra kick in the sack, their captor had taken away their watches. Timelessness wasn't as good as most people believe. Without time you lose your sanity quicker. Two days could easily just be two minutes without you being any wiser. Athena's eyes had adjusted to the light enough that she was able to make out shapes. Thankful, not for the first time, that Autumn had spent a lot of time dragging her out a window into the woods after dark, and that she'd always made her younger sister eat her carrots.

The room wasn't more than a 10by10 foot box, a low ceiling maybe a little more that 5 ½ feet high. There were two chairs, a bucket in the corner to relieve yourself, and some old mildewed blankets. A pitcher of water had been provided at some point, but not enough to spare to clean wounds. Athena had forced Sage to lay down and let her clean the older woman's injuries the best she could. Autumn usually did this sort of thing. Athena hated seeing people she cared about hurt. Strangers didn't bother her, but the few people she deemed family it tore her apart to see them hurting. Autumn being the one exception to the rule. But that was only because of the number of times she'd pieced her sister back together.

Athena's hands shook and her good leg bounced. Her head felt like it was in a vice and she desperately wanted some Advil and a Pixi Stix. Sugar withdraws were hell. Sage was worse though. Her skin was so pale it nearly glowed in the dark. Athena didn't have to see her eyes to know they were dull, and she was starting to develop a cough. What little unmarred skin she had was crusted in blood, pus, and grime. They needed a good shower, and a first aid kit. Athena might even be able to do a blood transfusion if she had a pen and a few straws. It would be primitive but it might work.

"Athena, do me a favor and can it." Sage rasped. Athena sighed, and started silently counting the seconds.

Autumn had stayed with the boys. She had never been alone before, at least not since her parents died. There had always been someone sleeping in the same room. The three of them showered and put down protective lines of salt. Guns were on bedside stands gruesome knives under pillows with fists tightened around them. Dean didn't say a word when he came out of the bathroom and found Sam and Autumn already asleep. Autumn in Dean's bed and Sam in his own. He bit his lip, said a silent prayer that wherever Athena was she was alive and crawled in bed next to the blonde's sister. Autumn immediately scooted next to him. Pressing as close as she could.

Six hours after leaving the empty warehouse Autumn was impatiently sitting on the hood of the Impala. She had a black tank on under one of Dean's button up shirts, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a pair of blue jeans that had seen better days and were thread bare in more that a few places, a baseball hat was tugged down hiding her hazel eyes. She looked like she had just climbed out of a Mack. Sam and Dean both eyed her as they came down the steps to the parking lot.

"Asses in the car. Now." she ordered.

"You okay?" Dean asked stopping in front of her, his little brother already climbing in the backseat.

"Peachy, love." she smiled sarcastically.

"Aut"

"Dean, something has my little sister, I know if our places were switched and it was Sam I'd be all set to give you a pep talk too. But baby, I don't want to hear it will be alright until all I have left to do is put her back together. When I can control the situation." she said cutting him off. It was the most she'd said since leaving the park the evening before.

"We'll find her." he told her. This was the closest he could come to apologizing for not watching Athena more closely.

"I know we'll find her, Dean-o. I do have faith." Autumn stole a kiss, and he deepened it pulling her too him. He didn't know the words to make her feel better, all he could hope for was the right actions. She broke the kiss and slugged him. "Come on." she whispered before slinking past him and taking shotgun.

The next time the door opened Sage curled into a ball. Athena looked up expecting to see Sam standing there, instead a man with a striking resemblance to Dale Gribble stood in the door way, a cigarette pressed between his lips. He blew a ring of smoke at Athena as he stepped in the room.

"Hello Ladies." he didn't reveal any time of day in his greeting and this disappointment made Athena ask.

"What time is it?"

"Hair past a freckle honeybunch." he smirked at her.

"Just leave me alone." Sage whimpered. Athena moved putting herself between the Dale Gribble look-alike and Sage.

"Don't touch her." she growled. Sounding as intimidating as a sleep deprived, broken, 24 year old Barbie Doll could sound.

"Or what? You'll kill me with your great sense of fashion?" he mocked her.

"I'll kill you at least." she pushed herself up standing as tall as her broken leg would allow. "And trust me, Dickhead, I'll kill you slowly and painfully as humanly possible." the man laughed.

"That's cute, Princess Peach. But you're not leaving here alive, and baby doll, you don't have a chance against me." He was treading on her last nerve and she'd reached the end of her rope. She doubled up her fist and slammed it into his nose. The man stumbled backward, both hands flying to his nose. "You bitch!" he screamed.

"That's my name don't wear it out." Athena answered him still smiling.

"You broke my damn nose!" he said indignantly.

"You broke my damn leg." she countered. He left slamming the door behind him. Athena sank to the ground fighting not to cry. Her leg was being devoured by searing hot pain, her whole body ached on top of that, and she was really starting to wonder if her sister and friends would get there in time to save them.

"Hell of a show, girlie." Sage said proudly. "Too bad all you did was piss him off."

Silence took hold of the tiny room. Athena was starting to get seriously pissed off, too. This guy didn't appear to have any reason for any of this, other than liking to see people squirm. Athena Daemon was a lot of things but she never had been and never would be someone's play thing. Autumn might go for that shit but she wasn't going to. She clenched her jaw and drug herself over to one of the chairs in the corner of the room. She needed to set her leg before it got any worse.

Both chairs were flimsy, wooden, folding chairs, the kind used at a festivals and the like. She took hold of one of them slamming it into the ground a few times until the leg broke off. She played with the metal bracket, that held the chair together, until she got it off. Taking a screw from it she ripped the seam of her jacket sleeve. She was going to need something to hold the wood to her leg.

"What are you doing?" Sage asked.

"Magic tricks. In a minute I'm going to pull a rabbit out of the hat."

"Cool. If there were light I'd like to see that." Athena breathed a laugh. "What are you really doing Daemon?"

"You're going to set my leg." she said.

"We don't have anything in here to make a splint." Sage reminded her.

"With your imagination and the Barney bag we'll see what we can make today." Athena sang the old familiar tune. Barney hadn't come out until she was in middle school or maybe even high school, but she'd watched it often enough, babysitting or just sheer boredom, to know the songs.

"Do you know any normal songs?" Sage requested.

"Normal how?" Athena asked enjoying not having to talk to herself again.

"Normal, like I would know them." Athena considered her play list for a moment.

"Fancy, that song Reba sings?"

"The one about the mom whoring her daughter out?"

"Autumn loves that song." Athena snickered remembering Autumn singing the song at the top of her lungs in the shower after taking a severe beating or two.

"It's normal enough, shoot." Athena fell into the comfort of the song, as if it were the arms of an old friend. She wrapped herself in the memories it brought forth as she worked at creating her splint. She'd get hung up on a verse or the chorus not remembering the words or enjoying the way she could relate to a certain lyric. "Keep singing, and don't watch what I'm doing." Sage instructed as she took hold of Athena's leg.

**A/N: I'm so proud of my little Athena, I'm gonna have to buy her an icecream. Chatper Seven will be up as soon as I figure out where to go.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven **

"I tried scrying once." Autumn said conversationally. She was much better off than yesterday, not so forced in her movements. "It don't work."

"Maybe you did it wrong." Sam offered. Dean didn't comment. As long as the two were talking he didn't have to worry about them too much.

"Thought of that. So I had Athena try it, she didn't get anything. There was a physic I knew back then, he didn't find shit either." Autumn shrugged.

"You know a physic?" Sam asked hesitating a moment. Autumn shook her head.

"Only one I know is you. I knew one. He was a closet physic, but came out to the wrong guy, got himself locked up in a nice padded cell for a while, something something something he's dead now."

"Something something something?" Sam repeated. Autumn brushed past Dean into yet another empty room. They'd discovered a homeless family, a few junkies, some stray cats, and a lot of nothing.

"Yea, like blah blah blah. It's a long boring story, that really don't need telling right now. Just another old friend that bit the dust." Dean looked over the large room Sam following behind him.

"There's nothing here either." he set his jaw.

"We are chasing our freaking tails!" Autumn buried her face in her hands, the gun pressing into her forehead. Dean moved to disentangle the gun from her hands.

"Aut" again he couldn't find the words he'd never been able to find. The ones his dad had never had either. Last time he'd heard the words, Autumn needed now, he was four. She looked up at him.

"What aren't we doing?" she sounded so small. Sam was shifting around behind him, his little brother was so much better at this stuff.

"Let's go back to the bar." Sam said. "We'll see if Aiden is a regular. If so someone will know where to find him." Dean nodded.

"Exactly." Autumn looked between the two of them.

"Can I have Harold back now?" she asked the hint of a grin teasing at her lips.

"Harold?"

"Yes, Harold's my gun and he don't like the way you're holding him." Dean gave back her gun shaking his head.

"You named your gun Harold?"

"My grandfather." she said.

Since they hadn't gotten to town until shortly after lunch time, and then had been sucked into the hunt it put them in town a little more than 24 hours now. Making it Happy Hour at the bar. The bartender smiled sweetly at them, he was a small, endearing, older man. Autumn slid up onto a bar stool and leaned forward to talk to the man.

"Hello, honey." he greeted. "Can I get you anything?"

"Yea, three beers."

"Of course little lady." he produced three longnecks and handed them to the red head. Autumn distributed amongst her group. "Anything else, honey?"

"Yea, my sister and I were in here last night, and a man bought her a drink. Tall, dark hair, good looking."

"What happen, sweetie? He nail your sister and leave?" the bartender asked. Autumn nodded.

"Something like that. He a regular 'round here?"

"Yea, every night, same time for the past two weeks. Well he missed a day last week." the old man recalled. "Said he had to pay his aunt a visit." Autumn stiffened a little realizing what this meant.

"Thanks."

"You need anything else Sweetie you just come here and find me." Dean led them to a booth in the corner where they could see the whole room. Autumn repeated the information.

"Think he'll show up tonight?" Sam asked.

"We could report her missing." Autumn suggested, for the first time ever she wanted the cops involved. "He would have to show up then. Unless he wanted to finger himself."

"He'll show up." Dean told them taking a swig of his beer and thanking God that neither of them questioned him.

"If you don't stop fidgeting I'll knock you out to do this." Athena scolded the older woman. Sage stopped squirming and let Athena work the needle through her skin. "Before, I didn't know who he was."

"He looked like my Rick." she was silent a moment. "I love the strategy don't you?" her voice dripped with sarcasm, almost drowning out the pain and exhaustion.

"What? Pretend to be someone you trust to break you down? It's just like the bullies on a playground. You find a person's weakness and hit them there. If the kid is upset because they wear glasses you call them four eyes. If you're a shape shifter and your victim is/was head-over-heels for a guy you become that guy." Athena bit the thread after she tied it off.

"I didn't think he'd give you that stuff after what you did to him." Athena laughed, and wished she hadn't immediately afterward, because of the earth shattering pain in her ribs.

"I've told you before. I get whatever I want." She wasn't about to tell the woman how bad she'd gotten it in order to get a first aid kit. But at least he'd kept away from all sharp objects and anything with projectiles. Fists hurt but they didn't blow your insides outside or slice through your skin as if it were hot butter.

"Could you want us both out of here then?" Athena unscrewed the lid on the alcohol and poured it over the stab wounds on her stomach. "Son of a bitch." she hissed.

"I'm sorry."

"Just hurry up. Besides the infection they're not bad." Sage had already assessed her wounds in the dim light provided by the keychain flashlight they're captor had given them.

"They're nasty though, Sagie." Sage looked up at her locking her sharp yellow-green eyes on the younger girl's blue ones.

"Sagie?"

"Yea, I mean we're all friends here right?" Sage gave her a smile that she couldn't see. Sagie was what her folks had called her, what Rick and John called her, on rare occasion when really fearful Autumn would call her, but never Athena.

Athena hummed while she worked. Every so often she'd look up from her small stitches and ask about the lyrics or see if Sage knew what song she was humming. For the most part the blonde stuck to what she'd been raised on, which meant is was a lot of heartbreaking, cheating, lowdown, drunken, lover songs.

"The Opossum, was always my man." Sage whispered into the silence. The bleeding had stopped for the time being, and as long as she didn't move too much the dizzy spells staid away.

"George Jones?" Athena sighed. "Autty, says our mom like him."

"You remember you're mom?" Sage asked hesitantly.

"Not really. I remember her at the end. You know, hooked up to IV's, bald, whiter than her sheets." Athena closed her eyes and fought off the memories of her mother's last days on earth. "But the pain is the worst. Dad and I were clueless as to how we were supposed to make it stop hurting. But Autumn was always so good at that. She'd give mom her pills, and then sit with her holding her hand and talking. She'd tell Mom the dumbest things." Sage sensed the need to discuss the topic, now that Pandora's box had been opened.

"Like what?" she pulled herself closer to the younger woman.

"Like she'd tell mom about school, or the animals. Tell her what the priest had said on Sunday or what she'd dreamt about the night before."

"That stuff don't sound so stupid." Sage's parents had just cut her out. She wasn't supposed to get a life of her own, she was supposed to settle down with the man they chose and live the life they wanted for her.

"No, Mom would always perk up afterwards. She'd laugh and dispense some age old wisdom and Autumn would go out back with her gun and shoot until her trigger finger was blistered or her shoulder was busted."

"Autumn's one hell of a girl. So what would you do?" Athena shook her head before leaning into Sage's arms.

"I would crawl in bed with my mom and listen to her breath. Not that I could ever really hear her breathing over my own tears." Sage stroked the blonde's hair.

"You two shouldn't of had to deal with that." Athena shrugged.

"Know when to hold 'em. Know when to fold 'em. Know when to walk away and know when to run." Sage took a steadying breath and joined Athena's song.

"Never count you're money when you're sittin' at the table there'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done."

Autumn nearly jumped out of her skin when he walked in. Dean and Sam both tensed up the three exchanging looks. To confirm they had the right man. He was tall, maybe even taller than Sammy, dark shaggy hair, and dressed like any college kid on a Saturday night. Sam reached across the table and caught Autumn's had before it could reach her gun. Dean shook his head.

"Not yet, Aut, get him outside first." he told her. She pulled her hand away from Sam and crawled out of the booth.

"I'll get him out if you'll follow." she said pulling her shirt down, and readjusting her sleeves. Dean noted this, she was getting nervous again.

"We'll follow you anywhere, Autumn." she raised a brow at him before turning on her heel and walking up to Aiden. Sam and Dean hung back.

"Hey Aiden." she smiled.

"Do I know you?" he asked looking her over.

"How quickly they forget." Autumn reached up playing with a lock of hair just behind his ear.

"Maybe you'd like to make me remember?" Aiden asked his hands going to her hips.

"Maybe, my backseat or yours?"

"Have to be yours babe." she smirked.

"Why?"

"I'm ridin' a hog."

"Mmm" she bit her lip. "Let's blow this joint big boy."

"She's good at that." Sam said looking over at Dean.

"Shut up." Dean gave his brother a shove toward the door. Autumn had already gone out Aiden in tow.

"Where the hell is my sister!?" Autumn had the much larger man pinned to the wall just deep enough in the alley that no one would see when they passed by. Her gun was pressed deep into his gut, her hazel eyes wild.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"My sister! Blonde, yay tall" she waved her hand around at her own height.

"Oh yea, that really narrows it down, Red." she jammed the gun deeper in the man's stomach.

"If you want to live you won't call me that." Dean grabbed Autumn at the waist and pulled her back.

"Take a chill pill, Aut." he whispered in her ear taking her gun away. Sam had moved to keep the man in place.

"You picked her up here last night." Sam reminded their captive.

"Dude, I wasn't here last night. My aunt's sick. I'm in town to take care of her."

"We saw you!" Aiden shook his head.

"No you didn't. Here, call the hospital. I fell asleep in my aunt's room." he reached into his pocket to produce a cell.

**"**He's bluffing!" Autumn yelled.

"No! I'm not! Go ahead call!" Dean grabbed the phone flipping it open. "Just hit send, man, I just got off the phone with the nurses station not ten minutes ago." Dean hit the little green button and waited on the nurse to pick up.

"Hey, I'm with the Covington Police, and we need to confirm the whereabouts of a Aiden," he paused looking at the man Sam had trapped against the wall.

"Cane." the man supplied.

"Aiden Cane." Dean finished.

"Oh, the poor dear." the nurse cooed. "He sat with his aunt all day yesterday, then after her dialysis they both fell asleep. I was on duty, and just couldn't wake the poor guy up. He's barely left her side the past two weeks. She raised him you know?"

"Thank you ma'am." he hung up. "He's not lying."

"Damn it!" Autumn cursed slamming her fist in the nearest solid object, which happened to be a dumpster.

"What's going on?" Aiden asked.

"No of your business, kid." she said. Dean motioned for Sam to let him go.

"You were ready to blow my liver out my back. I think you owe me an explanation."

"Her sister has gone missing, and you're evil twin took her." Sam said. Aiden pinched the bridge of his nose and bent over.

"Okay," he sighed. "Did you report it?"

"We don't go to the pigs." Dean told him.

"What, you gang bangers from up in Cinci?" Autumn laughed at him.

"Do I look like a gang banger?"

"I don't know, lady. You handle that gun like a pro, and none of you are without your scars."

"We've run in to some trouble a time or two." Sam told the man.

"Right. So what the little guy you're pimp?" Aiden asked Sam nodding at Dean.

"We're not whores either, get your mind out of the gutter, Gulliver." Autumn scolded. "And since you don't have my sister on hand, we're out of here."

"Wait, if someone is walking around with my face and hurting girls I want to stop him." he grabbed hold of Autumn's arm as she walked past.

"Buddy, let go." she jerked her arm but he held on.

"No, not until you tell me what you know."

"I know I'm going to kick your ass if you don't let go."

"You're a little pixie how much damage can you do?" Aiden countered tightening his grip.

"I bite." she snapped at him.

"I'm scared." he said boredly. "So you gonna tell me what's going on?"

"Let her go." Dean put a hand over Aiden's wrist, and the taller man let go of Autumn immediately.

"We hunt things." Sam started. "Things that aren't… human. This thing took one of our friends, then called us out here. It's a shape shifter best we can tell."

"Wait, you're not serious."

"Do you want to know what's going on or not?" Dean asked. He'd swept Autumn behind him as soon as she was released and she was now leaning into is back, chin resting on his shoulder.

"We have reason to believe that it used your skin to take Autumn's sister." Aiden ran his hands through his hair and started pacing.

"So what are you going to do to it if you catch him?"

"We will catch him." Dean said.

"And we'll kill him." Autumn drawled licking her lips. Aiden looked at her wide eyed and fearful. Dean had to admit she looked crazy at the moment.

"Then what?"

"We take our friends and skip town. If there are others we dump them off at the hospital." Sam shrugged.

"And you find something else afterwards?" Aiden pressed.

"What we do afterwards isn't your concern." Dean replied.Aiden nodded slowly soaking all of this in as he paced.

"I'm helping you."

"Stay with you aunt." Dean told him. "From what the nurse said, she needs you more than we do."

"What about your sister?" he asked Autumn.

"Nobody and nothing gets between me and my baby sister without my permission. Anything that tries goes up in smoke." Autumn answered with a smirk. "Literally most the time." Aiden eyed the three of them, calculating his options.

"Make him hurt a little for me." he requested.

"Only if you keep your mouth shut." Dean haggled.

"Like someone would believe me." Aiden chuckled.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I thought to break this into two chapters several times but I wanted to make ya'll wait a little longer so I held it. Hope I did the movie in my head justice with this piece. Thanks for your time Sarah**

**Chapter Eight**

"Sage?" Athena whispered, not sure he was gone yet. The woman didn't answer and fear gave birth to rage. "I'm going to kill that bastard!" she vowed. "YOU HEAR THAT? I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" she screamed at the door.

It didn't do any good to fight something that wasn't there. Athena had learned that from years of watching Autumn fight things that no longer existed, the fights would turn inward and the older Daemon would tear herself apart. Athena couldn't think of her sister right now, it was too hard to think of the young woman she'd always considered her hero, and tend the only other woman who had ever held her while she cried.

"Sage, you okay?" A low groan was her only answer. That was good enough, though. Noise meant life. Athena drug herself across the floor, her legs were scrapped raw from being drug across the concrete so much. She had to be extra careful of the splint lifting that leg just enough that she wouldn't misplace anything. "Sage, it's okay now. You're with me. You are safe." Athena laughed inwardly. Safe was too strong a word.

"You're next." Sage whispered.

"I know, as soon as he gets cleaned up and changed he'll come for me. I know." Athena propped herself against the wall and locked away the thoughts of the worst. "How bad are you?" Sage had been a doctor, her mental checks of herself were so much better than the mental checks Athena did of herself.

"I don't know that I have any ribs that aren't broken at this point. We're lucky he's stupid."

"How stupid is he?" Athena asked her fingers numbly working over Sage's arm. It was laying at her side limply.

"He stops working an area over when it stops reacting. Had he kept up I could lose the whole flippin' arm and live."

"He don't want us dead. I don't like that." Athena whispered back. Neither of them willing to raise their voices to a normal level until they were sure he was long gone. He'd come and taken Sage, the two were gone a half hour, Athena knew because she counted the seconds, before he flung Sage back into the room.

"He wants the colt." Sage told her. "He… I'm going to pass out in a second, while I'm out pop my arm back in socket."

"Yes, ma'am." Sage was right, it wasn't a full minute before the woman swooned. Then Athena set to work patching her friend back together. Athena bit through her lip when she put Sage's shoulder into place.

They returned to the motel to get John and search more buildings after their run in with the real Aiden. The boys sent Autumn after the dog, they'd wait in the car. When she didn't return after a few minutes Dean turned off the car. He signaled for his brother to follow. Both of the hunters climbed the steps, prepared to find Autumn held hostage or worse. Instead she was staring at the door to her room. She looked at them blankly when they approached.

"Aut?"

"There's a note on the door." the fingers of her left hand were curled around the silver bullet at her throat and her eyes were locked on the yellow page torn from a legal pad then held up with scotch tape. Sam pulled the note down and read over it before turning to his companions.

"Hey, You want them back you'll just have to trust me. Meet me in the woods outside town at midnight. Be there… or they die. What? Thought I was going to say be there or be square? - Your Secret Admirer." Sam said his eyes flicking from their faces to the note and back. Autumn pushed Sam out of the way and let her dog out of the room. John made quick work of surveying his humans. "Where are there woods?"

"Autumn?" Dean asked. She knew the area a lot better than they did. It was just over an hour away from her home town.

"15 minutes west, out of town." she answered closing her eyes, checking her mental map. She hadn't been in Covington since the funeral of the church's choir director, when she was seventeen. Dean checked his watch.

"We've got half hour to kill." he said. Autumn looked around the balcony.

"We should get inside before someone hears us." she disappeared inside her room, John on her heels. "Should we call someone? Tell them what's going on, so if we don't come back out" she trailed off.

"Don't talk like that." Sam scolded.

"Sam, I'm just looking at reality here. We don't know if he's working alone, we don't know what he looks like. Hell we don't even know if Sage and Athena are alive! We could be walking out there for nothing." Dean didn't have to be able to see the future to see the fight coming.

"Autumn, call Jen, tell her what's up." he ordered. She turned angry eyes on him before digging out her phone and walking away from them, deeper into the room.

"Dean" Sam started and the hesitation in his voice was heart breaking.

"They're alive." Dean stated flatly.

"How do you know?" Dean grinned slinging an arm around his little brother.

"Cuz I'm the oldest which means I'm always right."

Autumn skipped the call to Jen and went straight to the big guns. She dialed John Winchester's number, unsurprised when voicemail picked up. Autumn took a deep breath, steadying herself, before starting.

"John, Sage called something attacked her. Our kind of something. We came out and lost Athena. I'm going with your boys to meet the bastard. If I don't call you back in the next 12 hours, we're in Covington, Kentucky." she hung up and dialed Jen.

"Yo?" Will answered. Autumn shook her head.

"You need taught how to talk on a telephone, William." she teased.

"Autty?" he asked.

"One and only."

"What's wrong?" the fear in his voice was undeniable.

"Nothing, babe. We're just getting ready to head into a possible ambush. Wanted to call headquarters in case we need back up and can't get to the phone." Will didn't answer for a second and she could hear him sifting through papers. No doubt notes on her hunts. Jen kept files on her hunters.

"You're out in Covington, missing persons, what else?" he asked.

"Yea, best we can figure it's a shape shifter. Wants to meet in the woods about 15 minutes west of town." he repeated what she'd said writing it down.

"You have six hours. If I don't hear from you I'll call. If you don't answer I'll dispatch a unit." Autumn laughed at how ridiculous it sounded.

"Did I join a secret government group when I wasn't paying attention?"

"Autumn, you have six hours and I'm heading out there. How is everyone?" She had made it a rule to never lie to a partner. She'd never once lied to Will about anything hunt related and couldn't help but feel the stab up pain at the words she wasn't going to say.

"We're all good." he let out sigh she wished she could share.

"You take care, Plays With Fire."

"Always." if they were in person this would be the moment he hugged her tight, when they took each other in wondering if they'd ever see the other again. "Six hours right?"

"I'll take the plane and be there before dawn." he promised.

"I'll call you in six hours."

"You better." another pause. "Autumn, watch your back."

"Bye Willy." she hung up before he could get all sappy on her.

Autumn turned around to see the two brothers, heads bent together over a map they'd picked up at the gas station. She shook off the feeling of dread. No need to fret so much, it was just another hunt. Athena's life was at risk every time. This wasn't any different. Why was she worried? Hunters don't really die, they always make it out by the skin of their teeth.

Athena spat blood and dared to run her tongue over her teeth, they were all still there. He'd taken the form of Billy-Jack this time, zeroing in on a childhood fear. She'd seen that face twist into the same cruel, animalistic smirk too many times to count, but it had never been aimed at her. He'd tied her to the chair again. No weapons were anywhere in sight. That was good. If he didn't have weapons he'd have to stick to his hands.

"I'll get her later, too." he whispered in her ear. She rocked in her chair head butting him before falling over backward. "Bitch!"

"We've covered this. I don't want you wearing out my name." she smiled sweetly. He ripped her back into and upright position.

"I think I'll make her watch when I kill you." he smirked walking away. Athena had seen enough of the building they were in now to know it was a run down house. Probably on the edge of town, with enough space between it and the next house that no one would hear her screams, at least unless they were outside. But the house's condition led her to believe no one would care even if they did hear. "I can hear her begging for your life, now." he sighed blissfully, as if he actually could hear Autumn's begging.

"She'll rip you to shreds before you can say boo."

"Maybe. But I doubt it. See she's with the Winchester boys. Your big sister isn't going to move with them watching. She won't kill me right off anyway. If I'm dead how will she find you?"

"She's found people with less to go on." The shape shifter laughed.

"Maybe so. I went to see her today, you know. Went to the bar first, but my model was already there. Good looking guy, no? Aiden. I like the name even. Maybe when I turn your boys over I'll take his name and skin and do some damage." the man shrugged. "Of course it would be more fun to go back and see how Dean stands after the last shape shifter he dealt with. Or maybe I'll go find Sarah as Sam. Give her one hell of a shock."

"Leave her alone!" Athena shouted.

"What does she matter to you?"

"She hasn't done anything wrong!" Athena told him.

"That don't matter. What have most the things you hunt done wrong?"

"Kill innocent people?" Athena asked in a 'duh' tone. He tossed Billy-Jack's head from side to side stepping out in the hall returning seconds later with a tire iron.

"There are those, aren't there, that don't do any harm? They're just born with the wrong genes. My kids won't have to worry, though. I get rid of the Winchesters and no hunter will ever try to touch me." he swung the tire iron in a bored fashion.

"How are you going to get rid of them?"

"Shhh, child. Don't worry that pretty head of yours. I've got friends, that's all you need to know. I've got friends." he hoisted the tire iron up like a bat and swung it at her bad leg. She let out a scream before she could think to bite it back. The bone shattered, and he reached to pet her hair. "You broke my nose, did you really think I wouldn't get you back for that?" she managed to twist her head sharp enough to bite his arm before he had time to react. She chomped down until his blood filled her mouth.

Dean turned off the engine and let the Chevy roll into place behind the bushes. Hidden away from the road. John was going nuts in the backseat, the dog knew something was going down. Sam was out of the car and around to the trunk mere seconds after the car came to a complete stop. Dean let Autumn out of the backseat, her dog right behind her. She brushed her arm against his, a silent plea for support. Sam watched the older pair as he tucked weapons into ever crevice of his body, that wouldn't hinder him too badly. There might be hope for them, they seemed to strengthen each other. Amplifying the other's good qualities and weakening the bad ones. Autumn made Dean stop and think, about things other than hunting and skirt chasing. Dean loosened Autumn up so that she wasn't such a stick in the mud.

There was an language to their movements. Autumn brushing Dean's arm was: I'm scared don't let me fail. Dean's hand hovering fractions of an inch away from the small of her back said: I've got your back, babe. The quick kiss that followed spoke the words both were to proud to say: I need you. Sam rolled his eyes checking his shot gun, making sure it was loaded. If something good came from everything those two had been through, it would be this.

"We don't split up." Dean reminded them shutting the trunk after going over both of them. Autumn nodded an affirmative. She knew to stick close, so did he.

"He don't die until we have Sage and Athena." Autumn said tightening the laces of her boots.

"Right." Sam couldn't think of anything else to say. When Autumn stood back up they headed out.

The trio trekked through the brush, bramble, and mud a good fifteen minutes before Autumn stopped. Her head spun around like a four year old in a swivel chair. John tensed up at her feet hackles standing on end. The crack of a twig made Sam and Dean go deeper into hunter mode. They formed a circle back to back and waited on their attacker.

"Hear that?" Autumn whispered. "Heel toe. Heel toe." Sam saw her fingers tap out the beat of steps on the handle of her gun. "If it were a deer it'd be toe heel."

"Good to know." Dean's hushed sarcasm fell on deaf ears as the shape shifter revealed himself. There was nothing about him that set off alarms. He looked like an ordinary, everyday, run of the mill guy. About Dean's height, black hair, dark eyes, blue jeans, and beaten brown coat.

"Evening." he smiled. "I'm Zack." John growled low and menacingly, all the more Autumn needed to know.

"Autumn, charmed I'm sure." she introduced herself. "Now give me three good reasons not to blow you full of holes right now."

"1: None of you are sure I'm who you're looking for. 2: You kill me you're sister will be dead before you find her…and not that I need a third reason but 3: I'm just too damn sexy to kill."

"Dude, you gave yourself up." Dean pointed out.

"Who said I would kill, Zack." Autumn spat his name out like a sour grape. She ran her eyes lovingly over her gun.

"She's just that good." Sam said, he could be cruel too. "She can shoot you just right that it will take days before it kills you ." Dean nodded.

"She loves doing that."

Autumn listened to her boys talking her up but never took her eyes off of Zack. The only visible weapon was a tire iron, but that didn't mean he wasn't packing heat, they sure were. He stood so still, and relaxed, barely visible in the dark beneath the trees. He held a flashlight, and could have blinded them, made the first move, but instead he held it low so all four people were clearly illuminated amongst the shadow.

"So pistols run in the family." he mused. "The blonde bit me. Broke the skin and everything."

"She does that." Autumn smiled. "Ma wanted to buy her a muzzle when we were kids."

"You realize, doll baby, that you're coming with me tonight." Autumn fired a shot clipped his ear. "What the hell!"

"Don't. Call. Me. That." Autumn ground out.

"Aut, let me do the talking." Dean whispered so only she and him could hear. She shook her head, Sam knew that look. There was no way she was going to let that happen.

"No." she hissed at his brother. "Where are they?" she demanded.

"No, we're done talking now. You don't get to shoot me and then sit down for a tea party."

Zach moved in humanly fast. John was on him before the hunters had time to register he'd moved. It was horrible to watch, for the whole minute it lasted. The dog bit anything that came near his powerful jaws, ripping through flesh, crunching bone. Zach raised his tire iron and struck the dog. John collapsed to the ground after a yelp of pain. Sam was next up though Dean tried to pull him back. Zack was bleeding, and weakened but adrenaline more than made up for the disfigurements John had inflicted.

Autumn couldn't track his movement. Sam was down, John was down, then he had her held against him arm around her neck and Dean pointing a gun at Zack. There was an awkward moment, where Zack was unarmed before he got a hold of Autumn's dropped gun. He tightened his grip on her holding the muzzle directly to her head.

"Move and I shoot her." Dean froze.

"Girlie, you wake your little ass up now, or I'm going to" Sage wasn't sure what she'd do but she wasn't going to lose Athena in a dark hell hole. She would have missed it had she not been stroking the girl's cheek. The slight twitch of her lips, pulling into a pained smile.

"You'll what Sage?" Sage bit back a happy sob, not because it was a total break of character but because her whole body ached and sobs would only make it worse.

"I'll hang you up by your toes, and beat you like a red headed step-child." Athena laughed which quickly turned to a cough, and she spat up blood. "Here. Shh shhh." Sage pressed a Dixie cup to her friends lips and helped the younger woman to get some water down. "How you feeling?"

"Like someone beat the shit out of me." Sage leaned over Athena pressing their foreheads together.

"Girlie, I never thought I'd be so happy to see you awake." Athena snorted a chuckle.

"Yea, well I never thought I'd be so happy to see you." Athena repositioned herself. "He messed up my leg again." she closed her eyes against the pain that shot through her. "How long was I out?"

"You were out when he brought you in, you've been here about an hour." Athena let out a colorful string of curses. "Easy, kiddo. You'll be fine."

"Where'd he go?"

"I'm supposed to know this?"

"I wish." Athena sighed. "How bad am I?"

"I did a stitch job, with what we had left of the thread. But your leg and ribs are another story. You take another beating like that he's liable to puncture a lung, and I can't do much with that." neither of them said anything for a long moment. "Teenie, what the hell do you do to that thing?"

"To get worse than you?"

"Yea."

"I bite." she smirked.

"Okay, little vampire, you need some rest."

**A/N: we'll pick back up with Dean-o, Autty, and Zack in a few minutes. But for now, everyone take a pee break, there are cookies and some punch in the lobby.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I've appearently developed an obsession with biting in the last chapter. Well you wanted to know what goes down with my sweet little girls and their hunter boys, so here we go. Please keep all hands and feet inside the vehical at all times, and do not stand up until the ride comes to a complete stop.**

**Chapter Nine**

"Drop the gun." Zack jabbed her in the head with the damn gun. Dean tossed the gun to the ground between them before stepping back hands in the air. "Good."

"Let her go." Dean commanded.

"I don't think you're in any place to be making demands." Zack ran the tip of the gun down the side of Autumn's face, over her neck, and followed the gentle curve around her breast. "I'll have fun with this one." he taunted.

"Like hell!" Autumn twisted trying to escape. Zack cocked the gun and returned it to her temple.

"Aut, don't." Dean instructed. Even in the dark she could see his worried eyes, she stopped struggling.

"That's my girl." Zack squeezed her. "This is the part where you start bargaining, and I threaten to kill her just for the fun of watching you squirm."

"Oh, God. You're joking right?" Autumn groaned. Dean looked down at his fallen brother, and pet then at his girl being held at gunpoint.

"Take me." he said simply. "Leave her, take me."

"Dean!" Autumn protested. Zack chuckled, amused by the quarrel starting.

"Autumn, you take care of Sammy and call Will."

"No, he can't do anything to me I've not already been through! Just let him take me."

"Aut, he could kill you."

"No shit Sherlock! He could kill you too." Autumn pleaded.

"Maybe I'll just kill you both." Zack quipped. Dean was more desperate now than ever.

"Don't take the girl."

"Aww how cute." Zack walked forward dragging Autumn with him. He kicked the gun in one direction and flung her in the other before grabbing hold of Dean. "You move and I'll kill him then the boy and dog, just for fun." he growled at Autumn she nodded fighting back tears. "Good, puppet." he smirked. "Come on Hero."

Autumn watched the shape shifter make off with Dean, and waited until she was sure he hadn't knocked Dean out and was coming back, before crawling over to Sam. She found his pulse with trembling fingers, it was a steady even beat. She moved to check her dog. He was alive, but that was all she could say for either of them. She lay her head on Sam's chest and cried. It had taken all of her self control not to cry when Dean was pulling his self sacrificing shit. She vowed to kick his ass into the next century when she found him.

After her good cry she pulled herself to her feet and tried to figure out how to get the man and dog out of the woods, without leaving either behind. Honestly, she wasn't sure she'd be able to find this spot again in the dark. Walking out on either creature was unacceptable. Autumn extracted her phone gathering mislaid weapons. There was one option. She found the newest entry to her phone book and dialed.

Aiden Cane turned up his beer and wished he had the gull to drink something stronger. The only time he tried anything stronger than a Budlight was at a frat party, and he didn't care to relive that night. The bartender, Lou, was a good man, never short of a kind word or pointless story that would pull his mind away from his aunt's condition. The woman who had raised him, when his own parents decided they didn't want him anymore, was dying and there was nothing they could do. She'd already had a transplant, twice. The first time her body rejected the donated organ. He twisted his bottle in his hands.

"You okay kid? I saw you leave with that red headed babe earlier, you have fun?" Lou asked a mischievous light in his eyes.

"Nah, she just asked me about her sister. We went out the other night and then her sister didn't come home." he shrugged before gulping down the rest of his beer. "What's the world coming to that a girl can't get justice without risking everything?"

"It won't last forever, Aiden. Nothing lasts forever." Lou poured drinks for a couple at the other end of the bar. Aiden dipped in and out of reality, not hearing his phone ring. "Kid, you gonna get that?" He jumped at the voice penetrating his thoughts.

"Yea. Yea." he dug out his phone. It was the girl's sister. "Hello?"

"Aiden, I need help, how fast can you get to the woods outside of town?"

"Ladies, I've got a surprise for you." Zack wrenched open the door and shoved Dean in the room. The women inside didn't react at all. No movement. He sighed pointed his gun at Dean. "Check them." he ordered. Dean Winchester was half of what he needed. The man pulled himself across the room to the blonde, Athena, Zack listened to his soft whisper not able to make heads or tails of any of it. "She alive."

"Yes."

"Check the other one." Sage, was about as ugly as a person can get before you pluck your own eyes out. He knew her story, the last hunter he'd tangoed with spilled the beans on the woman. Dean slid his fingers under the woman's chin waited a moment.

"She's alive too." Zack nodded.

"Good, I'll leave you alone." he turned on his heel. He was done with them for now.

As soon as the shape shifter was gone Dean punched the wall. The two women in the cell with him weren't in good shape. He didn't want to think about what they'd been through. It was a while before either woman stirred. Athena sat up with a jolt and through her arms around his neck hugging him weakly and kissing his cheek.

"You sorry bastard! I never thought I'd be so glad to see you." Dean laughed untangling himself from the younger woman.

"You're okay?" she shook her head and he saw her wince.

"Not even close." she muttered.

"For a rescue team you kids are doing a bang up job." Sage joked, only half the usual charm in her voice.

"He's not too good at his job, though." Athena mused. "If he were he'd use more than a crowbar."

"Your sister is worried sick about you." Dean told her.

"Yea, well now she knows how I feel every time she pulls this crap." Athena tried to sound light and careless but she denied by a coughing fit.

"How long she been doing that?" he asked Sage worriedly.

"Just since her last trip into the fun room." Sage answered, without giving actually giving a length of time.

"Will she be okay?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?"

"I'll be fine, Deanie. I'll live." she paused a moment then gave a little giggle. "And if I don't I'll haunt your ass for getting captured instead of rescuing." Dean affectionately ruffled Athena's hair.

"Then you better not die, Barbie."

Aiden helped Autumn get both Sam and her dog into the Impala then drove her back to her motel room. He hovered after dragging Sam and John into the room. Autumn repeatedly dismissed him, finally giving up to do a home stitch job on Sam. Aiden sat on the bed she'd dumped John on and watched. He didn't talk he just watched.

"You can leave."

"He'll be okay?" she nodded stitching Sam's arm, where he'd received a decent gash. It was his only real wound, besides his head and she didn't know what was going on in there.

"Yea, he'll be good as new in a week when I take the stitches out."

"You really do this?"

"Put my boyfriend's little brother together after he gets beat up fighting for my sister? Yea."

"No, I meant this hunting things that shouldn't be." Autumn nodded concentrating on her work.

"Since I got out of college."

"You went to college and ended up here?" he laughed. I'm sorry I shouldn't have"

"No, don't worry about it. There was a lot more to it than it sounds." Autumn discarded his apology.

"Why did you call me?"

"My folks died when I was 14, and the boys Dad is out of touch. The only people who were available to help me out are a weeks drive away." she explained.

"How'd you know I'd come?" he asked. She stopped her work and turned around to look at him.

"You're aunt is sick." she smiled encouragingly at his confused look. "My mom had cancer. When she got sick I spent a lot of time trying to help everyone else. I thought, if I could help everyone else that God would cut me some slack and not take my mom."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Our scars define who we are. There's a story behind each and everyone of them, that makes us who we are."

"You'll be okay here alone? He won't come after you?" Autumn nodded.

"I'll be fine." He quickly embraced her.

"If you need me call."

"I won't need you."

"If you do." she shooed him out the door. She needed to finish cleaning up what remained of her hunting party, and call Will and John. She regretted calling John now. How was she supposed to tell him she'd lost his son.

**A/N: I'm headed for bed. I'll get the next chapter out to you tomorrow. Leave me a a review.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay, I promised a chapter today and here it is. I'd like to get this finished before 9 tomorrow but I doubt I will. You're reviews are WONDERFUL! I love you all!**

**Chapter Ten**

"John?" shock ran through her veins, he actually answered his phone.

"Red, you kids okay?" the panic in his voice made Autumn nearly wet herself. It came and went so quickly she wasn't even sure it was there to begin with.

"No, John. Athena and Dean are gone. Sammy's out and I'm on my own right now." No tears. She ordered herself, there was no way she'd break down on the phone with him.

"Gone?"

"Athena was kidnapped, and Dean…Dean was lost during the fight." John sighed and she could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to force himself not to kill her through the phone.

"You and Sammy?"

"Sam's just out cold right now, he'll be fine when he wakes up." she answered.

"What about you, Red?" he pressed.

"I'll be fine when he wakes up." she lied. When Sam woke up she'd sit a little easier but that wasn't even half the battle.

"Tell me, Autumn." John demanded. "Tell me everything you know."

"it's a shape shifter, he has Sage, used her voice to lure us out here, then a note to get us to a bar, where he picked up Athena, after that there was a voice recording, then another note telling us to meet him in the woods if we wanted them back alive. That's when we got in a fight, and I lost Dean." neither of them said anything for a long moment. "I'm so sorry, John."

"Take care of Sammy, I'll be there tomorrow. I was on a case in Georgia. Unless you have to don't move until I get there." he instructed.

Dean sat on guard. The two women were behind him, tucked close to each other, like housecats, sleeping. They both looked like shit. Athena kept coughing up blood, and he lied to himself that it wasn't serious. Sage had explained the beatings she'd taken when Athena had fallen into a fitful slumber. The older woman had spared no detail telling him about how Athena defied their captor at every turn. He wasn't sure if he wanted to knock her senseless for being so stupid or award her for not breaking.

As he sat in utter silence his mind drifted to Autumn and Sam. Had they gotten out of the woods okay? Were they okay at all? The fear in Autumn's eyes was burned into his memory. As soon as Sam was on his feet they'd be here to save the day, but that was a skull shattering blow he'd taken. Dean worried that Autumn wouldn't take his little brother to the hospital if need be. If Sam woke up first he wouldn't let her take him. His baby brother would be dead determined to get them out, screw himself.

Something stirred behind him and Dean peered through the varying shades of black. Sage wrapped her swollen, battered arms around Athena. Athena shifted trying to lay flat, her breathing wasn't quiet right. Not deep enough for sleep. Neither of the two women breathed quiet right but Athena was worse. Shallow, ragged breaths seemed to wrack their whole bodies.

"What am I going to do with you?" he asked into the darkness that surrounded him.

The call to Will was easier. She flat out lied to him. They were all fine, going to stick around until Sage was doing well enough to be left alone. Seeing as she didn't have anyone. They'd be back at the Resort in a few weeks, mean time they'd hit anything within a day's drive. No big deal. John-dog stirred a while later his eyes responded, she iced his head and laid on the bed with him petting him and whispering.

"Dean?" Autumn sat straight up. She hadn't realized she fell asleep.

"He's not here." she told the man on the bed next to hers. She climbed out of bed and over to Sam, pen flashlight in hand. "How you feel?"

"Like my head exploded." she smiled brushing hair from his eyes.

"That happens sometimes. What about the rest of you?" she asked shinning the light in his eyes. He was good to go.

"I'm good. How about you?"

"I'm alive." he touched the bruise on her temple, where the gun had been pressed.

"Where's Dean?" she knew the way he asked that he already knew.

"He's with Athena." Sam forced himself up in bed leaning against the headboard and keeping his eyes clamped shut, so as not to see the world spinning. "I've got the garbage can from the bathroom here if you need to spew."

"How'd you get me out of there?"

"I called Aiden."

"When the world stops spinning we're going back. See if we can't find a trail. Maybe John can sniff it out." he said after a beat of silence, filled only with John's moans of pain.

"Sam" she started but he held up a hand to stop her.

"When I can walk we're leaving Autumn." he said the final word on the topic.

"You're dad's on his way up." Sam took a deep breath and didn't answer her for a moment.

"Okay."

"I just can't play favorites. But if I could you'd be mine." Zack leered. The shape shifter was standing in the door gun held threateningly in his hand. Dean knew if he wanted to he could knock the damn thing away. But Zack moved too fast to stop him unarmed afterwards.

"What do you want?" Dean asked keeping himself between the monster and the women.

"The Winchesters of course." the other man stepped closer to him. "I ran into some trouble with this pretty lady, Kate. Turns out the darling thing is a vamp." Zack chuckled, though admittedly Dean thought he was out of it. "So to get away with my life, or at least my blood. I made a deal: I'll get her the Winchesters in exchange she gives me the colt. Can you imagine what He would give for that gun?"

"What about Autumn and Athena?"

"I can. I've thought about it, what I'll ask for. You know how people ask if you could have any one wish granted what would it be? That's my problem now. What do I want more than anything? Money? No, not money, I'm doing fine on my own. Women? Nah, had one once, they're too fragile. Fame, success, everlasting life? No, none of those. What would you ask for? If you could have anything no strings attached? You're mom back? Maybe Jess, make baby brother happy again? Would it be for yourself or someone else?"

"World peace."

"I like it. Not really up His alley but I like it. I think I'll just go for Wonder Woman or to live in the Play Boy Mansion."

"What about the girls?" Dean asked meaning Sage and the Daemon sisters.

"That's the whole point. All those girls." Zack grinned manically. "But that's not what you're worried about. A demon stole your heart, how very fitting. Don't worry, when I kill them it'll be quick but they'll beg for it for weeks first. That red headed one will be hard to break though won't she? I heard what she went through before hunting. Was moonlighting as a shrink at the time. She told me everything, did you know she actually enjoyed the beatings?" he laughed and it took all of Dean's self control not to lay the creature out right then. "Yea, you see she'd suppress the memories, and she took the abuse sort of like payback for not saving her folks."

"She didn't have any control over that." Dean told him.

"No, she didn't. But she was just a kid, and her whole world went out like a light and she was left all alone in the cold dark with her baby sister. You tell yourself a lot of things to keep moving."

"Leave him alone." Athena barked. Neither of the men knew she was awake until now that she was struggling to her feet. "Get out and leave him the hell alone!"

"Don't worry, Princess, I was just leaving."

"Dean sit." Athena commanded when Zack was gone. Dean looked down at her, she'd given up on actually standing and was just kneeling on the floor. He dropped down to the ground, to keep her from making things worse for herself. "I don't know a lot of things. But I know Autumn, he was lying. You… We can't let him get to us." Dean nodded. "Such a verbal fellow." Athena joked. It amazed him that she could be so close to being beyond repair and still have a sense of humor. "We're in a house in the bad part of town?"

"Yea, in the basement I think."

"Ha! Sage owes me twenty bucks." she punched the air.

"Don't get too excited Lucy." Sage scolded the girl propping herself up. "One of them got put in here before they could do any good so you owe me twenty."

Sam fell back asleep and didn't stir until midday. At which point Autumn was climbing the walls. Her trusty sidekick, John-dog, was up too desperate to climb in the car when she took him out. Sam went for a shower, still trying to clear his head and sent Autumn for lunch. As they ate they planned.

"He could get us going in the right direction, or just get us lost." Autumn said wadding up the wrapper from her sandwich and stuffing it in the cardboard container that had held her fries.

"We'll just have to risk that." Sam countered

"Dad don't want us to make a move."

"They could be dead by then!"

"Don't you think I know that!" Autumn yelled right back. She regretted her move the second she had, Sam flinched away from her, his puppy dog eyes filled with hurt. "Sam," she calmed down. "I'm not… He wants us for something, and I don't want to lose you or be lost. We can't do this alone."

"Autumn, you're stuck with me." his lips smiled at her but his eyes were still hurt.

"I'm going for a walk, I'll be back in a few minutes. I've got my phone." Sam handed her, her gun. She didn't say anything to him, just tucked the firearm in her coat and went out.

Under other circumstances, that she doubted she'd ever see, Athena would have been amused to see Dean out hunted. He didn't tell either of them how he had ended up in here just paced the room. She couldn't blame him. She'd gone through sugar withdraws, and without all junk she was usually eating she didn't bounce as much, but she'd never sat still for long. Unless she was drawing, a slow, grim smile found it's way onto her face. She would never touch another sugary anything, if she could just have a clean sheet of paper and a pencil right now. Her whole body felt like it'd been through a rock tumbler, except her hands. Her hands just ached for work. Stitching up Sage and herself after a session with Zack helped, but it was survival.

Athena shifted and twitched, flinching every time she moved her leg, then cursing the tears that came from the quick jerked motion. Dean and Sage had spoke about it in low tones, that reminded her of a teacher and parent consulting on a child's misbehavior in class. She didn't need to hear what they were saying to know, however. They were trying to decided how long she had for this world. Athena coughed again, and both her friends tensed up. She wiped the flecks of blood on what remained of her skirt and threw them a carefree smile.

"Can we come back next year? I'm having so much fun!"

"Your sarcasm is over powering." Sage shot back. This was how they dealt with the pain. They joked, quick short conversations that didn't reveal anything about what was going on in each other's heads.

"How you doin' Blondie?" Dean asked pausing in front of her.

"Better than you, Tiger." he raised his brow at her. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark so well it was almost like seeing in the day.

"Just be glad she's not singing any more." Sage told him. "You would have thought she was skinning a live cat."

"Oi! I'm not that bad. Besides, Autty's the one with the musical talent." Dean resumed his pacing.

"What does she do?" Sage asked.

"Sing and play piano. At least the teacher said she showed promise with the piano, but she didn't have patience for it. I wanted to play so badly but couldn't will myself to sit still that long." Athena sighed. "My leg is killing me!" she finished with a groan. Dean cast around the room looking for something to entertain her, something to keep her busy and forget the pain. "Alabama, Alaska, Arizona," she knew the states in alphabetical order, it would keep her mind busy for a few minutes if she didn't break in the "Fifty Nifty United States" song.

All fifty states alphabetical, and by date they were instated, a dozen School House Rock songs, and most of Romeo and Juliet later, Sage was considering putting the girl out of their misery. When Athena couldn't remember the lines of Shakespear's work, Dean started quizzing her. How do you kill this, if this happens what do you do, if you're doing this then that attacks before you can do this what do you do? It was almost like a bad game of Dungeon and Dragons. Sage wondered if Dean had ever played, Athena looked like the kind of girl who had shunned the D'n'D players in high school, Dean just lived in a whole nother fantasy world.

"Is this the werewolf still or are you talking about a poltergeist? Because honestly I've never heard of a werewolf going through walls without leaving a mark." Dean was quiet a minute.

"I thought we moved on to the poltergeists." Athena shifted without moving her leg at all, it had been hours since they'd seen Zack and none of them were happy about that.

"Maybe. Oh well. You just do a cleansing and get out." she said answering his question.

"Why are they different from other spirits?" the boy wasn't letting up, but Athena hadn't had time to think about her injuries so Sage didn't intervene. Aside from that she missed the hunter talk.

"Because Daddy Winchester says so." Athena shrugged, clueless. Dean sighed and jumped into an explanation about the differences. Silently, Sage wondered why John didn't spend more time with his kids, it had to be something else to see four people you'd taught so much using what they'd been taught. She remembered a med student who had latched on to her, good kid, and the first time the student saved a code Sage had been so proud of the girl she'd hugged her until her eyes bulged.

"Come on." Autumn glared at Sam. Her dog was at the door begging to go out and Sam had hold of her wrist dragging her closer to the exit.

"Sam, Dad said to stay here. If he gets back and we're not here do you know what he's going to do?"

"Autumn!"

"Sammy, we can't just ignore orders."

"You sound like Dean." Sam chided.

"Orders are orders, Sam. If Dad says to wait we wait." she did everything but sit down to keep him from dragging her into this.

"He's our dad not our drill sergeant. He'll understand." Sam pleaded. Autumn avoided his eyes, they both knew Sam wasn't going with reality on that statement. "Okay either walk on your own or I'll carry you out." he let go of her wrist and she stumbled to catch her balance. Autumn folded her arms across her chest and squared her hips.

"We stay, he'll be here anytime." Sam stepped forward slinging Autumn over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"No, Autty, we go." Sam headed out the door Autumn, hanging limply from his shoulder.

"Umph." Autumn landed hard on her ass when Sam dropped her at the bottom of the stairs. "What the hell! You know I'm just going back up to that room." she looked up to see Sam wasn't moving he was just standing right there in front of her.

"That's how you treat a lady?" John Winchester's gruff voice asked his son.

"She's not a lady." Sam grinned. He and his dad butted heads sure, that didn't mean he wasn't glad for the man's help. Autumn sprang to her feet flinging her arms around the older Winchester.

"Daddy Winchester!" she hugged him tight, Sam saw the discomfort on his father's face when he returned the hug patting the red head's back.

"Easy." he warned pulling Autumn off of him. She looked him over worriedly.

"To the room now, John Winchester. No hunting for you until I get you sewn up." John looked from the girl in front of him to Sam.

"Am I a rag doll?" he asked. Sam shrugged. He agreed with Autumn, his dad looked like hell. He something had put a deep cut under his right eye that he was sure Autumn would be putting a stitch or two in, his sleeves were rolled up to make cuts and scraps visible on them, and the man's clothes weren't any sort of presentable.

"No, you're not a rag doll, Dad, you're a man off a hunt who needs cleaned up." Autumn pointed up the stairs. "Now ass in my room." John got half up the stairs before Autumn gave her elder another order. "And get you're shirt off, I know you're hiding more than that." Sam followed his dad up the stairs to the motel room.

"That girl needs to relax." John shook his head stiffly. Sam turned his back to his dad when he removed his shirt. Autumn joined them after a minute or two with her dog at her feet. "Okay Nurse Autumn where do you want me?"

"Sit on the bed. Sam where's the first aid kit?" Sam retrieved the kit and Autumn set to work. As she went she went over every detail of this hunt from the moment she picked up Sage's call until this very moment. John didn't say a word, listening to the woman. "What do you think, John?"

"You got caught with your pants around your ankles."

"I got that much." Autumn nodded taking a washcloth from Sam. "You're face." she passed it on to John who mopped his face.

"Am I done?" John asked. Autumn was tucking away the scissors, thread, and needle.

"Yea, Dad." she slid the first aid kit back in Dean's pack, letting herself linger just a moment.

"Red, where'd you get the bling?" she spun around confused.

"Werewolf friend of hers had it lodged in him." Sam replied for her.

"Friend?" Autumn shrugged.

"I'll explain later, sir. Get dressed we need to get into the woods before we lose all daylight."

"Sammy, go start the truck, we'll be down in a minute." Sam looked to Autumn who offered a quick smile sending him away. John was rolling up his sleeves again as Sam left, he was watching her.

"Whatever it is I didn't do it and if I did I'm terribly sorry." John eyed her carefully.

"Dean knows better than to trade himself. What are you two up to?" Autumn sucked in a breath. "Don't try sweet talking your way out either." he warned.

"I don't know what we're up to." she said honestly. "It's all been consented to by both involved parties, sir."

"Autumn,"

"If I continue to get in the way, I'll pack up and get out of your lives. Won't look back. I'll just leave."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:Alrighty, we've got one more chapter to go and we're done! Thanks again for all your reviews, you guys have been great!**

**Chapter Eleven**

"I'm looking forward to Zack's return." Athena was bopping her head against the wall behind her the dull thud was enough to drive the trio insane.

"Why you like getting the shit beat out of you?" Sage inquired. Athena made a sad attempt at a laugh and Dean woke from his half slumber to look her over. There was nothing he could do, nothing he could really see, but you'd have thought he had Superman's X-ray vision the way he kept looking at the blonde.

"No, I'm just sick of this room."

"Being tired of this room isn't a good enough reason to die." Sage told her. Athena yawned and let her head hit the wall again.

"How long had I been here before you came?" she asked Dean.

"Almost a whole day."

"Wow. I thought I'd been here my whole life. It, seriously, was only one day?" Dean nodded.

"Yes, dude."

"Dude? You kids don't have any idea what respect is anymore. Dude." Sage shook her head.

"Sage, why don't you tell us one of your stories about walking to school with no shoes in four foot of snow up hills both ways." Before Sage could respond to Athena's cocky request the door was pulled open and light flooded the room blinding its occupants.

"Winchester, you're dad's here." Zack informed them. "Seem Autumn and Sammy just can't function on their own."

"She called him before." Dean answered no emotion just a bored statement of fact.

"What do you want with us?" Sage demanded. She was feeling powerful with Dean around, up until now they'd been able to count on beating every couple of hours. Since the arrival of the Winchester nothing had happened.

"You're just for fun. When my other guest arrive we'll be moving the party."

"Where?" Athena was feeling ballsy too, apparently.

"West, not that you need to worry, dearest. You won't be making the trip. Car's not big enough for any more than three extra passengers." No one asked what would be happening to the extras not making the trip they already knew.

Autumn leaned into the nearest tree to hold herself up while she caught her breath. The Winchester men were close by, leaning, hands on their knees, eyes locked on the rottweiler. John-dog kept his nose to the ground he was walking circles around the area now. Autumn pushed herself up standing on her own and investigated with her dog. Blood on fallen leaves, and boot prints in the soft soil made it clear this is where they'd been last night.

"Whose blood?" John asked joining her where she squatted next to the red-black goo. It had clotted too much at this point to be a liquidy substance.

"The shape shifter's." she answered not comfortable with the proximity of her mentor. "Pup, where'd they go?" John-dog's hackles were on end and he kept as near the humans as possible his eyes darting through the forestry that surrounded them.

"He don't speak English." Sam reminded her.

"You'd be surprised how much he understands." She'd been keeping an annoyingly close eye on him, afraid whatever head injury he'd taken would flare up with all the activity. Sam rolled his eyes at her and avoided the bloody mess of ground his father was still inspecting. John-dog was ready to start running again, the dog refused to take it slow getting this far.

"Come on."

John stood up following the dog who'd taken his namesake. Not more than a dozen yards away they found a discarded flashlight. Autumn pocketed the device and they moved on. The dog led them through the trees, twisting their way through the maze of thorn bushes, poison ivy vines, and trees. They emerged on the road, about a mile away from where they'd parked. The dog sniffed around before nipping the coat tail of his master and dragging into the ditch. He nosed around, Autumn took the hint and sifted through the garbage, leaves, and whatever else washed off the road until the glint of something metallic caught her eye. John-dog barked, his tail waving wildly.

"What'd you find?" Sam knelt at Autumn's side to look at the object.

"And you said he didn't have a good nose." she teased plucking up a familiar ring. She placed the ring in John's palm. "Dean was here."

"Hey, Autty?" Sam picked up a slip of paper no bigger than a receipt.

"What Sam?"

"We've got an address." he handed over the Holy Grail of paper. "Where is that?"

Zack's arm was in a sling, and Athena had seen the cast hiding within, the free arm was bandaged up, the way he moved made it clear that he was sore. Athena and Sage could only guess that Dean, Autumn, Sam, and their trusty pooch had given him hell before going down. When the shape shifter left them alone again after some serious taunting, Dean told them about the vampires. Sage, despite her bodies protests, joined his pacing after that. She'd never felt more caged than she did just then.

Athena looked too pale, in the light. Sage stuffed away the thoughts of how bad they all looked in the light. She locked away how stagnant the air smelled in the room after the rush of fresh air from outside. She'd never been much for violence, not that she couldn't protect herself when she needed to, but she wanted to hit something, anything, right now. Dean stopped his pacing in front of the door and made another feeble attempt at a finding a way out. There wasn't a window in their room, no doorknob on their side of the door, Sage wasn't sure what he was looking for exactly but she didn't think he'd be finding any trap doors.

The young blonde woman was dozing in and out wrapped in Dean's coat. Anything that could be used as a weapon or for communication had been taken from them but Dean still had his coat. Athena curled deeper into the jacket's warmth and muttered something in her sleep. Sage was sure the girl would make it, if they got out in the next 24 hours. After that she couldn't promise much, coughing up blood had never been a good thing.

"Can you do anything for her?" Dean asked not looking away from the door.

"Not from in here." Sage answered. "How good is your family at finding people in this situation?"

"They've got Dad, now. He can find just about anything."

"Exception being that damned demon, of his." she mumbled."He's stringing them along isn't he?"

"We were strung this far, why change tactics if its working?"

"This is exactly why I live alone." Sage sat down next to Athena, the girl was burning with fever. "People are all bad. Even when they're not, they make bad things happen." she didn't care that she sounded like a five year old afraid of clowns, she was pretty sure sanity left their room a long while ago.

John scribbled the address down onto a piece of paper that wasn't smeared with blood, mud, and funk. The idea was to find a local and ask for directions, but locals weren't going to be keen on talking to the mud splattered hunters anyway, let alone give them directions to a place written on bloody paper. Autumn was going through his glove box trying to find the ibuprofen for Sammy. Sam was sitting in the pressed against the passenger door of the truck, with his arm over his eyes.

"Here, Sam-man." the redhead shook a couple of pills from the bottle and put them into Sam's hand. "That should do it for now." she said regretfully.

"Red, why don't I drop you two off at the motel, you can put John up and I'll call you with the directions. We'll need more than the truck to get them home."

"Yes, sir." he tucked the clean address into his pocket before starting the engine.

The high school baseball coach wrote down directions for John, promising him that he wouldn't be able to miss the house. It was apparently a big eye sore. When he called Autumn, he could hear her scramble to copy down the directions herself. He had her and Sam park a block away, incase their buddy was watching. Coach was right. All the other houses on the street were well kept, little houses. Low income homes, but still the lawns were mowed ever Saturday, Christmas lights went up the day after Thanksgiving and came down the day after New Years, the children played games in the street without having to worry. John waited until he saw his kids before he emerged from his truck.

Sam was surprised how much silver was left from the werewolf upraise. He and Autumn were armed to the nines. John was waiting for them in the driveway. Sam's father was staring the house down as if it were the big baddie of the week. The curtains were all pulled, the driveway's concrete was cracked and eaten with weeds, a light dusting of snow covered the yard, thus proving the unpredictability of Midwestern weather, and the door stood a jar. The three hunters exchanged grim faced looks. Nothing about the house seemed very inviting. Just their kind of place.

"Ready or not here we come?" Autumn made it sound like a question. He was ready to go in guns blazing and take out anything that stood between him and his brother and friends. John nodded, determination filtering through the normal void mask he wore. Sam wasn't sure how his dad knew they were in trouble, or why he'd come. The fire after Thanksgiving, he understood, the demon had been involved. But this wasn't demon related, this was just no man left behind.

John led the way, Autumn took the end of the line as they marched on the house. Sam followed his dad into the house, John checking every room before waving them in. The entry hall was contained a bench, and coat rack, Sam was glad to see the beaten brown coat hanging up. The next room had an old black and white TV set, stained couch, and TV tray with a half eaten frozen dinner. Autumn drew closer, and Sam felt the prick at the base of his neck, John tensed his shoulder ready to fire, they were being watched.

They went down a short hall, bathroom, bare master bedroom, nothing to send up alarms, and still Sam couldn't shake the eyes on his back. The kitchen was clean too, and they were about ready to call it quits, thinking they'd been fooled, when John opened the pantry door. He reached in flicking on a light, revealing a set up steps. The two men and woman padded softly down the stair case, a room had been built taking up half the room, boxes, old patio furniture, and a couple garden gnomes littered the opposite half of the basement.

"Hello." a voice said behind them.

"Zacky nice to see you again." Autumn greeted the broken man.

"I knew I could trust you, Daemon. So, predictable." Zack started his descent down the stairs and John took his place in lead, keeping his son and Autumn behind him.

Dean stepped back, jumping out of the light that pooled under the door as if it were liquid death. Sage eased passed him and pressed herself to the door trying to hear what was going on. Zack was definitely out there, she couldn't make out the other voice. But she caught the word Daemon.

"Dean, wake Athena up and get her in the far corner." Sage instructed. The boy snapped into action, following orders quickly. Someone needed to teach him to question things.

"Son of a bitch!" Sage caught the voice that time, it was her little red haired hunter.

Zack's young face wrinkled and took on the little pig eyes of her physiatrist. John and Sam were bewildered more by her outburst than the change. The shape shifter laughed.

"You have always been too trusting, child." he chided her.

"Autumn ignore him." John said from the corner of his lips. Sam moved between her and his father, they were freezing her out. Zack gave the Winchesters an appraising look.

"So what is it you did to piss the vampires off?"

"Killed a couple of them." John answered simply. Sam looked from Autumn to the encasement, she caught his meaning, moving to the door on it.

"Won't do you any good, Baby doll." Sam jerked to attention when he heard keys jingling. Autumn had her gun out trained on him before anyone moved.

"I told you last night, bub, don't call me that." Zack still had the head of Autumn's shrink perched on the shoulders of a young man.

"Why does that bother you so much?" he asked.

"You know damn well why."

"Autumn! Ignore. Him." John said behind clenched teeth.

"What's going on?" Athena asked groggily.

"Batman, Robin, and Catwoman just showed up." Dean hauled her into his arms moving her as gently as he could to the safety of the corner.

"I'm telling you called her Catwoman." her pain was evident in her voice, even with her attempt at humor.

"You know who she'd rather be?" If he kept her talking she'd stay awake, and he wouldn't be ready to tear out of his skin to get into the fight about to take place outside.

"Nah." Athena went completely stiff when he lowered her back to the ground.

"Sorry." he muttered, not used to the word on his tongue.

"Well, I'll be damned." she smirked relaxing into the wall. "I didn't think you knew that word."

"Sage, can you hear what's going on out there?"

"Your girl's 'bout ready to lose it." Sage whispered back.

John kept his gun trained on Zack, who of course had his own trained on John. Sam kept Autumn covered while she fought with the door. Sam could see all patience fleeing the woman. John and Zack kept talking. John working details and motive out of the shape shifter. Zack inching down the stairs and working John into a corner.

"Autumn shoot the damn thing!" Sam ordered picking her gun up off the floor and putting it in her hand. She looked back at his father and their enemy then at the door.

"If you say so, but I don't think the insurance covers that sort of damage." she grinned lazily pointed the fun at the knob. " 3...2...1" she fired.

Zack thought John had fired the shot and pulled his trigger, barely missing the man. John wasn't happy about being shot at and fired back. In all seven shots were fired before anyone fell. Sam found himself inside the enclosed area, Autumn next to him. They peered squinty eyed at each other in the darkness. Neither ready to turn and see what was behind them or open the door and find out who had hit the ground.

"We can't get them out with Mr. Shifter lose." Sam whispered.

"Okay." he heard Autumn lick her lips nervously more than seen it. He could feel her hand tremble, adrenaline was a tricky thing to deal with. She eased open the door and they both jumped back from their huddled place on the floor, when they saw the man standing over them.

"Here." John flipped open his phone providing blue light. "Damn." he gave a low whistle and they turned around to see what had gotten his attention. "To your feet." he drug them up. The walls were covered in pictures of people. A Polaroid of before and after then below fastened to the wall would be he weapon that had delivered the final blow. Names and dates had been scrawled onto the photos.

"Sick bastard." Sam said under his breath.

"I second that." Autumn agreed.

"Where are they?" John turned their minds back to the rescue part of their hunt. Autumn pulled the flashlight they'd found in the woods from her pocket switching it on. She handed it over to Sam who swept it over the makeshift hall. There were two doors and one was already open.

"What's behind curtain number two?" Sam asked rhetorically, walking down to the closed door. John tossed him the keys.

"Red's friend wanted you to have those." It took him a few tries before finding the right key and getting the door unlocked. It was chained and bolted in addition to the regular lock.

The door eased open and a beam of light fell into the room. For a intense moment, Sage held onto Athena, Dean stood bodily in front of them and the three hunters on the other door didn't move waiting for sound. The light, shaking, found its way to their corner and an audible sigh of relief cut through the air.

"Oh God!" Autumn was at Athena's side in an instant. "You okay, Squirt?"

"Fine as frog's hair." Autumn ran a hand over her sister's arm where Sage had stitched her cuts for not shutting up.

"You okay Dean?" John asked keeping his distance from the sisters, both of whom were on the verge of tears.

"Yea, he never touched me. Teenie's legs pretty bad though, and she's been coughing up blood. We've got to get her out of here."

"Sam get Athena and carry her out to my truck. Sage how are you?"

"Oh Johnny, I've been thinking about taking a vacation, doing a little traveling. This was exactly what I was looking for. Four star experience." Sage heaved herself to her feet. Sam moved to gingerly scoop Athena up. The moment she was safely in his arms she collapsed against his chest sobbing.

"Teenie, you're okay now." Sam soothed adjusting her in his arms before he dropped her.

"Come on, Shorty, let's get her outside." Sage opened the door wider and followed Sam out to hold open doors and move anything that threatened to touch Athena. John had taken the flashlight from Sam before he'd picked up the blonde, and now he ran it over the room.

"Dean, I swear to God, you ever do something like that again I'll beat you with in an inch of your life, let you heal up and beat you again!" Autumn burst.

"Aut, give it your best shot." Dean laughed.

"We're going to have a talk later." John shined the light on the couple. "You both know better, than to let things get like this."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Covington, Kentucky, February 21st, 2007

The doctors took Athena straight in before they had time to register her. She was swept into surgery on her leg, and then to a bed in post-op until she woke up. Sage was treated, and released barely 24 hours later. But even after being released she didn't leave, she'd demanded to share a room with Athena, and hadn't left it for anything but a trip to the cafeteria. Sam hovered around his friend not letting her move at all. The doctor had said Athena had minor internal bleeding. They'd gone in and repaired everything damaged. None of the doctors seemed too concerned with the coughing blood thing, not that that meant Autumn and Sam didn't question them to death on the matter.

"Spill." John ordered. Sam and Sage were at the hospital with Athena, he had Dean and Autumn back at the motel.

"Dad, what do you want us to tell you?" Autumn asked.

"What the hell happened? I told you NOT to get involved with him. That it wouldn't lead to anything good, and you disobeyed me. Athena had to pay for it!" Autumn flinched at his words sending Dean into protective mode.

"Sir, Athena getting kidnapped wasn't our fault."

"You traded yourself, Dean. You and Sam could have handled this better than Autumn." John reasoned.

"No, sir." Dean said looking his dad in the eye.

"Excuse me?" John demanded.

"Dean," Autumn had a hand on his arm now trying to call him off.

"How did you get here?" John asked.

"Werewolves." Autumn answered. John was boring a hole in her head now. "That first hunt Athena and I did, the pack was in danger again so we went out to clean up." Autumn shrugged, and Dean fell silent, Sam had told him about her patching their dad up. If he was going to listen to one of them it would be her. "The females got a little frisky, and with the pack having control issues I didn't think it wise to… Werewolves have this control over humans. It's… At first it's just this physical attraction thing we feel toward them, then something else takes over. Dean's not very disciplined in that area to begin with, if any one of those females wanted they could have had him in a split second. With the way their pack was going through humans, Dean would have been killed. So I spoke the only language they understand, and marked my territory." Autumn stopped, in hopes John would fill in the rest of the details.

"Continue." he prodded. Autumn closed her eyes and drew a deep breath.

"I kissed him. It was just supposed to make them back off but, I don't know. We fought it at first, I didn't want to piss you off, and you know how long I waited, sir. Dad, it wasn't planned. After that things just sort of happened. Then came Vegas." Dean looked at her shocked she'd bring Vegas into this.

"What happened in Vegas?"

"You know what we were hunting right?" John nodded. "Okay so to get the spirit to come out Dean and I pretended to be married. I had to break the traditional wedding vows to get it to make an appearance, but that's just detail. Right after we got back from that Sage or Zack or whoever called and we came out here." she finished. John was staring at her, Dean knew there was something he wanted to say, but wasn't going to.

"Red," John started, but that's all he needed to say, Autumn understood everything that came after that, even if Dean didn't.

"I know, Dad. Did you really expect something else?" John laughed.

"From you? I've learned to expect everything but the expected with you."

"I'll be back in a few kids. You want anything?" Sage asked.

"Nah, we're good." Sam answered for both of them. "How you holdin' up?" he asked when Sage was gone.

"Sammy, I'm fine." Athena coaxed. "I'm going out of my mind being trapped in another room, but I think I'll live."

"Did Autumn never tell you not to take rides from strangers?" he half joked.

"She might have mentioned it." Athena grinned. Sam reached for her hand and she gripped it. "Of course if I did everything she told me, I would have run long before meeting you."

Sage headed back home after a couple of days, not before having Autumn take her out to buy a cell phone. So Sage returned to her two room shack with a way to contact the outside world for the first time since she'd disappeared into the shadows of society. Athena had to stay in the hospital a week before they would release her. She asked about going to see the Morton girls and her parents graves since they'd just missed their anniversary but Autumn talked her out of it, saying there was no need to scare the girls seeing them the way she was. Dean and Sam were helping Athena into the backseat of the Impala, which had a larger seat than the Mustang, John called her off to the side.

"You know for that stunt to work he had to be holding you to those vows?" Autumn nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"You realize that, that isn't the only thing that has to be there for that stunt of yours to work?" John pushed.

"Yes, sir." Autumn fidgeted not sure where he was going with this line.

"Autumn, you take care of him and watch your back. Women in our family"

"Dad, I'll leave. Just say the word and when Athena's back on her feet, I'll walk out, if that's what you want." John shook his head savagely.

"I've spent his whole life thinking if I kept him safe taught him to protect himself that was all that mattered." he paused a beat. "Autumn you make him happy, and that's just as important as being safe."

"Then I'll take care of him." she promised. John tucked a finger under her chin lifting her head.

"I'm out again, kiddo, you need me just call." she smiled.

"Like I've ever hesitated to call you."

The pair rejoined the others by the Impala. John and his boys said their good-byes, before parting ways again. Autumn was going to drive alone of a day, her dog in the seat next to her, while Dean drove the Impala, Athena tucked into the backseat, and Sam riding shot gun. It was going to be a long trip back to the resort. Autumn and Dean had shared her motel room, Dean giving his bed up to John, while they waited for Athena's release. The couple had barely left each other's sides, so with the prospect of being separated for a weak Dean trapped her for a quick good-bye.

"You going to be okay?" Dean asked pinning her to the Mustang.

"Sure." she shrugged. "I think I can swing being all alone, on a cold empty road." Autumn pouted. He sandwiched her into the car, pressing his lips to hers. He allowed her to take lead, deepening the kiss, exploring his mouth and pulling him closer.

"HEY!" Sam threw a rock at them, pelting Autumn in the back of the head. "You comin' or what?" he asked when they'd separated. Dean glared at his little brother, Autumn leaned her head into his chest.

"Damn little prude." Dean grumbled.

"I'll see you when we stop." she patted his chest and opened the car door.

"Call when you need a break, Sammy can drive a while." Autumn nodded.

"Noted." Dean returned to his car, and was assaulted by Athena singing again.

"On the road again" she belted out the lyrics off tune.

**A/N: I know it was a short chapter, but we're done here. Life goes on, ja? I think vampires are up next, I mean you cann't put a price on the head of a Winchester without expecting them to pay a visit. Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you again in a few days. Always thanks and best wishes Sarah**


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